Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light
by heroes1202
Summary: The second half of "Heart's Greatest Weapon". Sora and his friends continue to fight on against the darkness to save the Keybladers. But as Vanitas returns, one question must be answered: What does the future hold for Sora and Kairi? Ch. 59 - 100.
1. Ch 59: His Name is Vanitas

_This is Part 2 of "Kingdom Hearts III: The Heart's Greatest Weapon"_

* * *

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 59: His Name is Vanitas_**

In Radiant Gardens, Sora and his friends have returned after their last adventure in the Pride Lands. But something has been happening as of late. Despite returning back alive, Sora has been very depressed. Even his friends can't figure out what is wrong with him.

"Man. What has gotten into Sora lately?" Genis asked. Raine sighed.

"I wish I knew. Lately, he has just been sitting by himself. I fear something must've happened on his last trip." Raine said. Sora sat in the city park by himself, giving a heavy sigh. He rested his hands on his lap and thought back to when he fought the Emperor.

"I...I felt so weak. Weaker than I ever have." Sora thought, looking at his hand. He groaned, remembering he left a confused and tear eyed Kairi before facing them.

"What would Kairi have said...if she saw me like that?" Sora thought. Just then, he saw two pairs of feet coming towards him. He looked up and saw Donald and Goofy.

"Sora? Is everything okay?" Donald asked.

"Yeah. You've been acting glum ever since we came back. Is something troubling you?" Goofy asked. Sora sighed.

"It's...It's nothing guys. Don't worry about me." Sora said. Donald and Goofy, worried that something was wrong, turned to each other with a worried look on their faces.

"Sora, if something is up, you've gotta tell us!" Donald shouted. Goofy nodded.

"Yeah. After all, we're all best friends, aren't we?" Goofy asked. Sora looked away.

"Really guys. It's nothing. Just...don't worry about me." Sora said again. Donald groaned and grabbed Sora by his shirt.

"Sora! What is WRONG?" Donald squawked. Sora groaned and forced Donald off him.

"I said it's NOTHING! Now leave me alone!" Sora exclaimed. He then stormed off, leaving the two of them behind. Right about now, Donald felt pretty stupid about what he just said. Goofy groaned softly, looking at Sora walking off.

"Sora..." Goofy mumbled. Meanwhile, at Ansem's Study, Ansem was looking over a few of his notes before he suddenly got a smirk.

"There we are. Now then, I'd better see how SORA is." he said. He suddenly got up and walked out the door, closing the door behind him and smiled. Sora continued to walk down the streets alone. But then, he passed by Presea, who stopped to look up at him.

"Wanna talk about it?" Presea asked. Sora sighed and figured Presea might be the best person to talk about this with. The two of them sat on a nearby wall and Sora told her everything that he was feeling after his battle with the Emperor.

"You were afraid of facing all that darkness, weren't you?" Presea asked. Sora nodded.

"I couldn't help myself. My friends were pinned down, I felt like I was slowly losing my energy and...I felt so ashamed, especially after how I left Kairi when I hurried after Simba." Sora said. Presea looked away, pausing to think of what to say.

"Well, I think the best way for you to get over this is to talk it over with Kairi. If you tell her what happened, I'm sure she'd understand." Presea said. Sora glanced over at Presea.

"Thanks Presea. Somehow, I bet anyone could feel better after talking with you." Sora said. Presea smiled.

"I do what I can." Presea said. Sora climbed off the wall and decided to go see Kairi. Presea looked on, thinking also that Sora would need all the privacy he could need right now. So, when she found most of the others back at the base, she asked them to please let Sora be for the time being. Zelos scoffed.

"Sure. I betcha all he needs is a good old fashion dose of "best friend" interaction to get him going." Zelos said. But as he passed by, Presea grabbed Zelos by his ear and yanked him down to her level.

"I said to let Sora be. Maybe you didn't hear me up there." Presea said. Seifer chuckled.

"As if that mop top really has anything up IN there anyway." Seifer said. Zelos looked back and growled. Out in town, Sora was walking alone with Kairi and telling her everything that went on.

"Oh. I see." Kairi said. Sora sighed.

"Kairi? I'm...I'm sorry. After I left you and Riku, I wanted to make sure I came back alive. But...I was actually thinking that I wasn't going to. I felt like...I felt like I let you down." Sora said. Kairi rested her hand on him.

"But you didn't. You came back Sora. And...I'm just happy about that. Even if you were too scared to move, I always knew you'd come back." Kairi said. Sora looked at Kairi, gently resting up against him as they walked.

"So...you aren't ashamed of me or anything?" Sora asked. Kairi shook her head.

"No. I never will be. If you're so worried that you'll ever hurt my feelings Sora, then...next time you're in a predicament like that, I'll be by your side." Kairi said. Sora was a bit surprised by Kairi's words, but they made him smile again.

"Thank you Kairi." Sora whispered. The two continued on as Richter was listening to what happened at the Pride Lands from Regal.

"So, that crazy loon of a lion finally got what she had coming. Hmph. I suppose we SHOULD be lucky that one of those Legion goons are gone as well." Richter said. Regal nodded.

"But there's no telling how many more of them are waiting for us...or if they are as strong as the Emperor." Regal said. Richter crossed his arms.

"Well, anyway, you should probably make sure that Leon hears about what happened too. Lately, they've been worried about..." Richter said before they both saw Ansem coming by.

"Hmm? Ansem the Wise? What brings you out? I thought you said you were going to be in your study for the night." Regal asked. But suddenly, Ansem glared at the two of them and his eyes flashed gold. Regal and Richter gasped.

"Hey! Wait a minute! You're not...!" Richter shouted before a giant flash of light blinded them. When the light faded, both Regal and Richter were gone. Ansem smirked and continued on. The next two he came across was Yuffie and Sheena. And just like earlier, he flashed the same light on them and they vanished.

"They ought to make the perfect bait. Just the bait I need to lure in Sora..." Ansem said. He continued onward, constantly using his strange flash everytime he came across any of Sora's friends. As the moon was starting to rise over the city, he finally found Sora and Kairi. Riku was just coming over to talk with Sora.

"Sora? Is everything all right? I know Presea said that you wanted to be alone. But, I was just too concerned to stay away." Riku said. Sora shook his head.

"Everything's fine now Riku. I was able to get over what was bringing me down." Sora said. Riku sighed.

"Well, I guess that's only natural. I get worked up about you and when I go to see you, you're all right again." Riku said. Sora, Kairi and Riku then laughed together as Ansem approached.

"Ah! Sora! There you are!" Ansem called. Sora looked back and saw him approaching.

"Hey there Ansem. What's up? I thought you were going to be in your study all night tonight." Sora asked. Ansem cleared his throat.

"Well, I had some news to tell you. Your friends seemed to have gone missing. I can't find them anywhere." Ansem said. Sora and Riku gasped.

"What? Where...Where they'd go?" Sora asked. Suddenly, Ansem started to chuckle and stared at Sora with a menacing glare.

"I'm glad you asked SORA!" he yelled. Suddenly, the same flash appeared and it engulfed all four of them. Sora could feel himself getting sucked in and the force caused him to pass out. When Sora awoke, he groaned and clutched his head.

"Oh man. What...What just happened?" Sora groaned. He sat up and looked around, finding himself inside the world of the Awakening. The image on Sora's platform appeared to be himself, Roxas, Ven and a strange man connecting all three together.

"What? Where...Where am I?" Sora asked. Just then, Sora saw his other friends around him, but no in the state that he hoped they were. Pete, Leon, Regal, Richter and everyone else from Sora's group had been turned into petrified stone statues. On all of their faces was a shocked expression.

"What...What the? Leon! Pete! Regal! Guys! What happened to you?" Sora shouted. He then heard someone chuckling behind him. Sora turned and found Ansem.

"Ansem! What's going on? Have you gone mad or something?" Sora shouted. Ansem continued to chuckle and extended his right hand. Suddenly, a black light flashed and it became a mysteriously shaped Keyblade with a blue eye on the handle.

"But...that's...that's...a Keyblade!" Sora gasped. Ansem smirked, suddenly showing gold eyes to Sora.

"All right Ansem! What's so funny? Talk!" Sora shouted, drawing his Keyblade. Ansem slowly reached for his face.

"Ansem? You've got me all wrong boy. I am NOT that old wash up geezer." Ansem said. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"All right then. If you're NOT Ansem, then who are you?" Sora shouted. Ansem began chuckling and grabbed his own face, tearing it off like it was a mask. Underneath was a large black helmet and he soon tore off his other clothes, showing the figure of the mysterious man that saved Sora.

"Wait a minute. Are...Are you...? Are you the one that saved us yesterday?" Sora asked. The masked man chuckled.

"Yes. It is me. However, I didn't SAVE you. I just wanted the pleasure all to myself...the pleasure of finally being the one that KILLS you Sora." he said. Sora groaned, tightening his grip.

"All right then! Out with it! Who are you?" Sora asked. Suddenly, the mask on the man began to fade away. And the face underneath shocked Sora. His opponent had HIS face, but with black hair and gold colored eyes.

"My name...is Vanitas! And, my dear Sora, today...I will be your opponent!" Vanitas shouted. Vanitas then started to laugh as Sora was in sheer shock, with his eyes opened as wide as possible. He couldn't figure out why Vanitas had his face.

"No way. He...He can't...He can't be ME!" Sora thought. Vanitas smirked and faced Sora, suddenly calling for his large weapon, a strange sword that appeared to be two Kingdom Keys crossed with one another.

"If you want your friends back Sora, well, you'll have to get through ME first! Now raise your Keyblade and fight me! But if you don't have the will to fight again, then you'll NEVER be able to defeat me!" Vanitas shouted. Sora groaned and gripped his blade tighter.

"Don't count on it you imposter! I'll show you who the REAL Sora is!" Sora shouted. Vanitas smirked.

"Fine by me. Let's dance." Vanitas said.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	2. Ch 60: Escape from the Awakening

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 60: Escape from the Awakening_**

Sora and Vanitas prepared to square off with one another as Kairi and Riku began to awake also. They were on a separate platform, somewhere inside of the Awakening. Kairi groaned and rubbed her head.

"What....What just happened?" Kairi asked. Riku groaned and sat right up, looking around him.

"Hey. Isn't this....the Awakening?" Riku asked. Kairi looked around herself and nodded, feeling something was different though. They looked below them and the floor they stood on appeared to be Sora's Keyblade crossing with Kairi's blade. Kairi suddenly heard the faint sound of metal clashing.

"Uh oh. Riku! I think Sora's in a fight!" Kairi shouted.

"Huh?! How are you even sure Sora is here?!" Riku asked. Kairi quickly turned to him.

"I...I don't know. But I just feel like he is! Come on! Hurry!" Kairi called. Riku sighed and tailed after Kairi. Meanwhile, Vanitas and Sora were in a fierce fight with one another. Their swords furiously clashed and they were soon in stalemate.

"Who ARE you Vanitas?! Another of the Dark Knight's goons?!" Sora shouted. Vanitas huffed.

"You could say we have SOME connection. But I work alone." Vanitas said, shoving him and Sora apart. Sora groaned.

"Then, answer me this! What did you do with Ansem the Wise?" Sora asked. Vanitas just shrugged.

"Like I know. Ansem was NEVER here to begin with. The one you found in the Realm of Nothing? That WAS me all along." Vanitas said. Sora gasped.

"What?!" Sora exclaimed. Vanitas suddenly drew his blade again.

"Now....let me ask you something boy. Do you know WHERE your powers come from? Or are you too ignorant and oblivious to know the truth?" Vanitas asked. He suddenly came charging and attacked, forcing Sora back. They continued swinging and countering each other's attacks until Vanitas finally knocked Sora's Keyblade from his hands. He stumbled to the floor and was suddenly greeted by Vanitas' sword, pointed directly at his face.

"Do you even KNOW what is truly going on with your "girlfriend" Kairi?" Vanitas asked. Sora growled.

"Like I'd ever tell YOU about what's happening to Kairi! She's my friend!" Sora shouted. Suddenly, Vanitas started to laugh.

"Ha! Like I WANT to know. After I got to talk with Kairi, I know EVERYTHING that she is going through. Shall I tell you?" Vanitas asked. Sora growled, calling back his Keyblade. Vanitas watched it suddenly return to his hand and Sora struck back swiftly, spooking Vanitas slightly and knocking his blade away. Vanitas leaped back and snatched his sword.

"If you know about Kairi, then why did you show yourself? Are you after her?!" Sora asked. Vanitas huffed.

"Not quite. I'm after YOU Sora. You have something I want. Your heart.....that's what I want." Vanitas said. Sora groaned.

"That's what they ALL say." Sora said. Suddenly, Vanitas chuckled and snapped his fingers. Dark portals opened behind him and some strange creatures lunged out for Sora, pinning him down. They didn't appear to be Heartless or Nobodies. These were the Unversed.

"What the?! What....are these things? Some kind of new Heartless?" Sora asked. Vanitas chuckled.

"Not quite. Sora? Allow me to introduce you.....to the Unversed. You could consider them to be subordinates of mine, ready to aide me at my very whim." Vanitas said. He then began to approach Sora as multiple miniature Unversed pinned him down.

"As I said before, your heart? I want it. For it is the key.....my key to Ventus!" Vanitas shouted. Sora groaned, looking up at Vanitas.

"Your key....to Ventus? No! You're NOT getting your hands on him!" Sora shouted. He suddenly reached for Ven's charm and activated it. The sheer force blew Vanitas and the Unversed back, far enough for Sora to stand again with Ventus at his side. Ventus was in his casual armor and holding his Keyblade.

"Vanitas...." Ventus growled. Vanitas smirked.

"Ven....how long has it been? Twelve years now?" Vanitas asked, chuckling shortly after. Ventus clutched his Keyblade tightly.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you would rear your ugly face again." Ventus said. Vanitas huffed, preparing to attack again.

"I'll never stop Ventus. Not until I get what I want. Finally, after all these years, we settle this TODAY!" Vanitas shouted. He laughed and came charging, swinging but missing both Keybladers. They jumped to opposite sides and faced Vanitas.

"Come on Ven! Let's get this guy!" Sora called. Ventus nodded and came charging. Both Sora and Ventus attacked Vanitas, but he poofed away and appeared behind Sora.

"This is the end!" Vanitas shouted. But just as he attacked, Sora deflected it and gave Ventus a big enough opening to counter attack, striking Vanitas directly. Sora then attacked with Ragnarok and pushed Vanitas up against an invisible wall.

"Gagh....drat. I....didn't expect the two of you.....to have such a strong bond by now." Vanitas growled. Ven and Sora smirked, raising their blades.

"We're Keybladers! And as I like to say, Keybladers always have strong bonds. Bonds that no one can break." Sora called. Vanitas growled, lunging for Sora.

"Then let's see how strong your bond is after I kill one of you!" Vanitas shouted. He prepared to attack, but Ventus soon stepped in front of Sora.

"Ven?!" Sora gasped.

"Perfect! Two birds with one stone!" Vanitas laughed. Suddenly, Ven began to form a glowing sphere in his hand. He glanced back at Sora.

"Sora! Lend me your strength!" Ven shouted. Sora nodded and rested his hand against the orb, suddenly making it shine even brighter. The light blinded Vanitas temporarily before he was suddenly pierced through his chest by a beam of pure light. Vanitas gagged, coughing bits of blood, as he fell to the floor. He laid unconscious on the floor and the sword vanished from his hand. Sora looked down at Vanitas.

"Ven. What's going on? Who IS that guy? What do you two have against one another?" Sora asked. Ventus looked at Sora.

"I'm sorry. I....I want to explain but....now is not a good time. Please, Sora, you have to come to the Realm of Darkness. Terra, Aqua, Ansem and I are waiting for you." Ventus said. Sora gasped.

"Wait! Ansem? He's in the Realm of Darkness? But....what do you mean by....?" Sora asked as he saw Ventus beginning to fade away.

"Sorry Sora. Until next we meet, come to the Realm of Darkness!" Ven called out as his spirit returned to his artifact. Sora groaned and looked back at Vanitas, still out cold on the floor. He turned to find that his friends, originally trapped as stone statues, had been freed. Nothing but empty pedestals stood around them.

"The....Realm of Darkness. What did he mean?" Sora thought. Just then, he heard feet rushing his way. Kairi and Riku were just arriving on the platform and hurried to Sora.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed. She suddenly hugged Sora tightly as Riku stopped to watch.

"Kairi! Riku! You guys are all right." Sora said. Riku looked down at Vanitas on the floor.

"Sora? Who's that? And why does he look like you?" Riku asked. Sora asked if he meant Vanitas and Riku gave a nod.

"I'll explain later. We....We probably should get out of here though." Sora said. Kairi agreed and the three began to leave. But suddenly, Sora felt a bad feeling starting to happen. The pedestals around them vanished and Vanitas began to slowly rise again. His body began to grow, tearing the clothes on his arms. Sora, Kairi and Riku saw a giant shadow towering over them and the sound of a demonic growl.

"Where are YOU going Sora?! The fun's only beginning!" a warped voice exclaimed. They turned around and saw a giant Heartless towering overhead. It appeared to be a Darkside and it's torso was the same as Vanitas' outfit, including the shape of his hair.

"Gah! Sora! What is that?!" Kairi gasped.

"It's Vanitas! Look out!" Sora called. Vanitas rose back and swung his fist, missing the three of them but starting to cause the glass below them to crack.

"He.....He's a Heartless!" Riku shouted. Vanitas' eyes glowed yellow as he turned to Sora.

"Where's your precious Ven now?! Looks like he just abandoned you to die! Some BOND you two have!" Vanitas shouted. He attacked again, but missed, inflicting more cracks to the floor. Sora attacked and was able to strike Vanitas' wrist, inflicting a big strike to him.

"Geagh!" the monster roared. Kairi and Riku attacked next, aiming for Sora's wound. They then attacked together and were able to slice off Vanitas' left hand completely. The giant Heartless glared at his severed hand and snarled.

"You! You! Die!" Vanitas exclaimed. He then roared loudly, almost in an ear hurting tone. As Kairi heard him, her memory of the monstrous creature from her flashbacks came to vision. Vanitas' roar was causing the floor beneath them to grow even more cracks until it finally shattered. Sora, Kairi, Riku and Vanitas started to fall through the floor.

"Gah! The floor shattered!" Riku shouted. Kairi watched on in fear, fearing they were all about to plunge into the dark abyss below. But as she covered her eyes, she felt someone grab her. She looked and saw Sora.

"Sora!" Kairi gasped.

"Don't worry Kairi! I've got you!" Sora called. Kairi soon grasped onto Sora tightly, yelling as they continued to fall. But suddenly, a bright light flashed before them and warped Sora, Kairi and Riku away as Vanitas continued to fall. The light had somehow brought Sora, Kairi and Riku back to Radiant Gardens, waking up on the floor in the exact same spot that they ran into Vanitas. Their friends surrounded them.

"Look! They're awake!" Lilo shouted. Genis sighed.

"That's great. For a minute, I thought we were never going to wake them up." Lloyd said. Sora and the others sat up, holding their heads.

"Guys? Ugh. Where....Where are we?" Sora asked.

"We're in Radiant Gardens. Are you three all right? We found you unconscious on the floor moments ago." Regal asked. Kairi nodded, saying they had a pretty bad "vision" about something.

"Why? What did you see?" Leon asked. Riku sighed.

"We'll tell ya in a while Leon. Right now, ugh, my head really hurts for some reason." Riku said. Sora looked to his side and saw Raine and Colette.

"We're glad you're all right. Colette and I have been trying to use our artes to wake you up. I guess they must've finally worked." Raine said. Sora looked at himself and chuckled.

"I guess they did." Sora said. He then saw Donald and Goofy looking on as well.

"Donald? Goofy? I'm really sorry about before. I....I wasn't myself and....I shouldn't have yelled. Can you forgive me?" Sora asked. Donald looked up at Goofy and Goofy did likewise, both having a cocky looking smirk on their faces. Soon, the two of them began to laugh.

"Of course we can Sora!" Goofy laughed. Sora chuckled, growing a small tear in his eye. Donald and Goofy then hugged Sora tightly, all three laughing.

"After all, we're best friends, aren't we?" Donald asked.

"Yep! We're the three Mousekateers!" Goofy cheered. Donald sighed.

"That's "Musketeers" Goofy!" Donald pointed out. Goofy gasped.

"Don't worry. You've always had a WAY with words Goofy. But....you mean well." Sora said. Donald, Goofy and Sora started to laugh again, happy to still be friends. Kairi chuckled and so did Riku. But as they laughed, a faint figure, shaped like Vanitas, watched Sora and vanished in a flash against the moon.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	3. Ch 61: Breach the Darkness

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 61: Breach the Darkness_**

The next day, Sora and his friends gathered together in Ansem's Study, now vacant since the false Ansem vanished. Leon groaned, unable to believe what he heard from Sora.

"You mean.....we were befriending an Ansem fraud?" Genis asked. Sora nodded.

"His real name is Vanitas, some kind of psychotic lunatic who looks just like me. He's been watching me, just waiting for the moment to strike at me." Sora said. Vincent sighed.

"Geesh. What a time to find out our leader was a fraud." Cid said. Aerith wondered where the real Ansem was then.

"That's what Sora said Ven told him. According to Ven, Ansem and the three of them are in the Realm of Darkness, waiting for Sora to rescue them." Riku said. Yuffie asked how Ven could've told Sora that since he was dead.

"No. I....I don't think he's dead. He might be.....speaking to me using some other means. Vanitas even said that I hold the key." Sora said. Zelos scoffed and waved his hand.

"Of COURSE you hold the key. Duh. Key BLADE? Hello?" Zelos asked. The others groaned.

"Weak dude." Lloyd muttered. Sora shook his head and continued by saying he was Vanitas' "key to getting to Ven".

"His key to getting Ven? Did Ven and Vanitas know each other?" Marta asked. From what happened, that's all Sora could guess right now.

"Hmm. I can't decide if this is just as bad or WORSE than our current situation. Not only do we have the Legion of Chaos, the Heartless, Nobodies AND that knight still on the loose, but now we're without a leader again and some darkness crazed monster is targeting Sora." Leon said. He sighed and rubbed his head.

"Radiant Garden will NEVER be the same again at this point." Leon groaned. Aerith glanced at Leon.

"Don't worry Leon. I'm sure we'll be able to find the real Ansem. After all, we have Sora on our side." Aerith said. Sora nodded.

"She's right Leon. I'm confident that we'll be able to pull through this. Vanitas attacked because my heart....was weak from all of my previous doubt. But now it's back to the way it should be. And if Vanitas tries that again, I'll be ready." Sora said, calling his Keyblade. The others nodded.

"Good to have the old Sora back." Roxas said. Cid thought for a moment.

"What is it Cid?" Merlin asked.

"Well, if Ansem and these Keybladers ARE in the Realm of Darkness, how do you plan to get anyone or even YOURSELF in there? We don't have that crazed witch around anymore." Cid said. Richter pointed out that this did bring up a problem.

"Is there anyway into the Realm of Darkness?" Marta asked.

"I don't think so. The only way I think people could go through it is if they had corridors of darkness." Riku said. Sora looked back at Ansem's desk, still seeing his notes on Heartless on the table.

"All right. Then it's apparent what we should do. We need to find ourselves a way into the Realm of Darkness and, for the sake of the worlds, we should probably destroy Ansem's research." Sora said.

"GOOD thinking. Vanitas was probably keeping his disguise of Ansem up so he could snitch a peek at his research." Lloyd said. Cloud told Sora that he would handle disposing of Ansem's research.

"Then that leaves US the task of finding a way into the Realm of Darkness. But, for good safety reasons, we're gonna need all the brain power we can get." Cid said. Sora nodded.

"All right then. Let's do this everyone." Leon said. Everyone gave a cheer and began working hard right away. As Cloud, Tifa and Leon began to take care of Ansem's data, the others were hard at work as they tried to think of a way into the Realm of Darkness.

"Should we tail a Heartless when it shows up and just follow it back through the portal?" Presea asked.

"Nah. That's not gonna work. The Heartless won't show up UNLESS they're after hearts. And I doubt it's hard to tail one of those things without getting seen." Cid said. Riku groaned, wishing he still had enough power to open a corridor of darkness.

"No. Don't say that Riku. You could turn into Xehanort all over again." Sora said.

"Then what are we going to do? So far, we're coming up with nothing. It would take a mad scientist to figure this out." Emil asked. Just then, Riku had an idea.

"Maybe we have someone who can help." Riku said with a sly smirk. His definition of "help" turned out to be Doctor Doofenshmirtz, still locked in Radiant Garden's prison.

"So let me get this straight. If I help YOU, then you'll let me out of here?" Doofenshmirtz asked. Riku crossed his arms, saying that was the deal. Doofenshmirtz stroked his chin for a moment.

"Ehh....one moment while I check my schedule." Doofenshmirtz said, checking his calendar. Most of the days, past and future, were all marked "JAIL TIME" in red marker.

"All right. You talked me into it." Doofenshmirtz said. Riku then let Doofenshmirtz out of the jail cell and Sora leaned over to Riku.

"You SURE about this guy? He looks like an idiot." Sora whispered.

"Hey. If he caused trouble while you were gone, he's good enough for our sake." Riku said. Sora's eyes suddenly widened.

"Wait. What did he do?!" Sora gasped, tailing after Riku as he left. Doofenshmirtz was brought to the team base and introduced to everyone. But those who did remember Doofenshmirtz were not too happy to see him.

"You think it's too late to call Jumba?" Lilo asked. Stitch nodded.

"Abuta chuchi." Stitch whispered.

"So, what are we doing anyway?" Doofenshmirtz asked, rubbing his hands together. Sora caught Doofenshmirtz up to speed about what has been going on and how they needed a way into the Realm of Darkness.

"Hmm. Well, why don't you just use one of my old inventions? I call it the Doofenshmirtz Portal to A Scary Black Hole Placerinator!" Doofenshmirtz shouted. He was suddenly given a creeped out glare from everyone.

"What?! Okay. So I've been working on a shorter name. It's a work in progress." Doofenshmirtz said.

"You mean you had a portal leading into the Realm of Darkness? And it's been open all this time?! I think I know how we got most of our Heartless visitors recently." Cid groaned. Doofenshmirtz huffed.

"Well, no one TOLD me it had to be closed." he said.

"I guess we found our way in. Now all we have to do is get there." Richter said. Just then, Doofenshmirtz let out a small chuckle.

"Uhhh....yeah. Thing is....the main entrance is all sealed up. To prevent the public from finding it, the authorities had the entrance to my cave blown up. It is now buried under a rock wall." Doofenshmirtz said. But all Sheena could do was laugh at that.

"No problem. I'll just call Gnome, he digs us a new way in and presto. Sora's ready to go." Sheena said. Sora couldn't believe that his way in came so quickly.

"All right then. Sheena? Let's go unearth that tunnel." Sora said. As Sheena and Sora left, Leon and the others were continuing to tear up any documents Ansem left behind on the Heartless. Leon was just heading onto the computer when he realized something. Instead of erasing the data, Vanitas had rewritten a new password and entered some kind of virus onto Ansem's computer.

"No. Darn it! The computer is on the fritz!" Leon groaned. Cloud came in.

"Leon? What's wrong?" Cloud asked. Leon groaned and wiped his forehead.

"It looks like Vanitas has sabotaged Ansem's computer. He probably stole all of the data on here and then set up a virus to wipe it out." Leon said. Cloud tried to access something and soon ran into the virus.

"You're right. I wonder if this thing has wiped Ansem's database clean yet?" Cloud asked. Leon groaned.

"I hope not. There is a lot of important information on that this computer and we can't afford to lose any piece of it." Leon said. Meanwhile, down by the Castle Gate, Sora and Sheena have found the rubble blocking the entrance to Doofenshmirtz' lair.

"This is the place? All right then. You might wanna stand back Sora." Sheena said. Sora slowly took a step back as Sheena began the summoning and called forth Gnome.

"Gnome! We need your help! Clear a path into this cavern for us!" Sheena shouted. Gnome looked at the caven and chuckled.

"All righty then! One instant entrance coming up!" Gnome shouted. In no time at all, Gnome's sheer power broke open the boulders and granted Sora and Sheena entrance inside. Sora saw Doofenshmirtz' portal ahead of him and saw that dark energy was radiating from within it.

"That's it all right. Can you get a message out to the others to come down here?" Sora asked. Sheena nodded and dashed off, bringing Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy and the original Nobodies down with her.

"So, this is it?" Axel asked.

"Yeah. Any ideas about proceeding onward?" Sora asked. Roxas looked over Doofenshmirtz' portal.

"I don't know. This doesn't seem the same as a corridor of darkness, so I doubt it will have any damaging effects to your heart." Riku said. Kairi glanced at Sora.

"Are you going to go in there by yourself?" Kairi asked. Sora turned to her and shook his head.

"If you guys want to come with me, it's fine with me. But it's probably going to be very dangerous in there. There's a good chance it's swarming with Heartless." Sora said. Riku huffed.

"I'm certainly not scared." Riku said.

"Me neither! Goofy and I will follow you anywhere!" Donald shouted. Goofy gave a nodding agreement. Sora then looked at his Nobody allies.

"Maybe a smaller group will be better. We'll hold down the fort here if you need someone to stand guard." Xion suggested.

"Besides, if we go back in there, there's a good chance we might lose our hearts again." Axel said. Sora suddenly remembered his wish and nodded.

"So Kairi, do you want to come? You don't have to." Sora said. Kairi huffed and stood straight before Sora.

"Of course I'm coming. Aqua is one of the Keyblade spirits that I've been watching over. If she's in there, she needs me." Kairi said. Sora nodded.

"All right then guys. Are you ready?" Sora asked. Just before heading in, Sora felt someone else approaching. He turned and saw Lloyd with King Mickey.

"Just a second Sora. Let us come too. We've been through the dark realm before. Maybe we can help you find Aqua and the others faster." Lloyd said. Mickey also pointed out that he was not going to let Ansem rot away in the darkness any longer. Sora smiled and thanked the two of them for volunteering.

"All right then. If we're all ready, let's do this!" Donald exclaimed. The others nodded.

"Realm of Darkness? Here we come." Sora said. They all turned to the portal and begun to walk through it.

"Aqua.....Terra......Ventus......Ansem.....don't worry. I'm coming to save you." Sora thought, being the first one through the dark portal. Kairi took one last look back before continuing on into the portal with her friends. Upon arrival, Sora and the others found themselves in the dark world. The land was barely supporting life as rotting trees and lifeless plains were seen before them. Up above, a moon shined from above, almost acting like a beacon and showing the way towards the Dark Meridian.

"Here we are guys. The realm of the Darkness...." Sora muttered.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	4. Ch 62: A Friend Named Aqua

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 62: A Friend Named Aqua_**

Now inside the realm of darkness, Sora and his group marched onward towards the Dark Meridian. The ground underneath them made a strange crunching sound, making Sora feel like he was in End of the World again. Riku looked up at the black sky overhead.

"I never thought....I'd be coming back here." Riku thought. Kairi was a bit scared by everything around her, staying close to Sora.

"This place....it feels so depressing, don't you think?" Lloyd asked. Donald and Goofy both nodded, sharing the same feeling Lloyd was. Sora looked down at Kairi.

"Kairi, don't worry. I promise that I will protect you. I mean it." Sora said. Kairi looked up at Sora before looking away.

"Sora? Do you think Aqua is really here? I'm wondering what kind of condition she's in." Kairi said. Just then, Kairi heard a faint sound. It seemed to be coming from the meridian ahead and it sounded like someone in pain.

"Guys? Do you hear that?" Kairi asked. Sora and the others listened carefully, but could not hear what Kairi was hearing.

"I don't hear anything Kairi." Mickey said. But Kairi could still hear it, hearing it louder this time.

"Someone's here. And it sounds like....she's in pain. Sora! We have to hurry!" Kairi shouted. Sora, not doubting Kairi, gave a nod and led his group into rushing down towards the Dark Meridian. Meanwhile, down by the beach, there were two women. One had short blue hair and was being shoved against the ground by the other, who had blonde hair with two antenna like hairs on her head.

"What's the matter? Is baby ready to admit that she's never going to leave?" the woman asked. Down below, the other girl groaned.

"No! You....You can't fool me! He's coming! I know he is!" the other girl shouted. The two women fighting were Aqua and Larxene.

"Oh....how good. You still got some fight in you. This is making things more fun." Larxene said. Suddenly, she grabbed Aqua, lifted her onto her feet by her neck and thrusted her against a large rock. With one hand holding her back, Larxene's other hand made a fist. Aqua gasped.

"This was fun. But you need to get over this. Your little "hero boy" ain't gonna come!" Larxene said. She then punched Aqua in the face and she groaned in pain. Larxene then chuckled and started to strike Aqua in her stomach, watching her flinch from each hit.

"Do....Do what you want to me, but....I know Sora is coming! You'll.....You'll see!" Aqua groaned. Larxene sneered and struck Aqua again, pulling her hand back and summoning her daggers.

"Whatever. Why not go back to your dream world? And STAY there." Larxene said. Aqua gasped and looked away, not willing to look. Larxene chuckled.

"Lights out ya big cry baby!" Larxene shouted. But suddenly, attacking from rage, someone charged at Larxene and knocked her away. Aqua looked to see Sora lunging at and attacking Larxene with his blade. The spooked Larxene skidded back before getting a good look at Sora.

"What?! It's.....It's YOU?!" Larxene shouted. Sora's friends gathered around as Aqua suddenly passed out. Kairi hurried to her side.

"Larxene! Why are you here?!" Sora exclaimed. Larxene groaned.

"Not what I was expecting....but if you really want to know, I've just been "playing" with my new friend Aqua here. She's such a baby, did you know that?" Larxene asked. Sora looked back at a bruised Aqua and hearing Larxene laugh, growling and calling for Atlas' Keyblade.

"Oh. You were playing? Because I don't find that funny!" Sora yelled. He lunged for her and attacked again, getting cut off by someone else drawing a weapon. Sora look to his right and gasped. It was the Dark Knight!

"You?!" Sora gasped. The knight thrusted Sora away and he landed on his feet. Everyone else but Larxene gasped at the mere sight of him.

"What's HE doing here?!" Riku groaned. Sora and the knight glared at each other with anger in their eyes.

"Hello Sora. It's been a while, hasn't it? Guess what? My powers have been slowly coming back and I'm finally able to resume my plans. Isn't that wonderful?" he asked. Sora growled.

"I guess it might be. I've been getting better pal. I've learned some new things from the other Keybladers and I'm ready to take you down." Sora said. But rather than accept Sora's invite, he turned away.

"Not now Sora. It would not be right unless we are both at our full strength. So consider yourself LUCKY that I spare you now. Even at this power level, I'd crush you in a flash." the knight said. He then told Larxene this was enough and the two left in a flash. Sora groaned, but turned his attention now to Aqua.

"How is she?" Kairi asked. Lloyd rested his ear against her chest, still hearing a heart beat.

"I think she's fine. It seems like she just passed out." Lloyd said. Sora and the others sat by Aqua's side and watched over her until she began to awaken. The first faces she saw was Sora, Kairi and Lloyd.

"Hey! She's coming to!" Sora shouted. Aqua groaned and rubbed her eyes.

"What....What happened?" Aqua asked. Sora sat by her side.

"You're all right. You just passed out earlier. But don't worry. I drove Larxene off, so she shouldn't be coming back anytime soon." Sora said. Aqua looked around, seeing no sign of her, and sighed.

"Thank you. So, you are Sora?" Aqua asked. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. How are you feeling Aqua? Are you all right?" Sora asked "Don't worry. I got a message from Ven. Me and my friends came to save you." Just then, Aqua looked over at Kairi and suddenly, Kairi gasped.

"Wait! I....I know your face now! You....You're that lady who saved me!" Kairi gasped. The others turned to Kairi as she began remembering meeting Aqua in Radiant Gardens.

"So, I guess you must already know Kairi then." Lloyd said. Aqua nodded, remembering her well. Sora then began to ask Aqua how she wound up in here. Aqua sighed.

"It's....That story is something that would probably upset you." Aqua said. Sora chuckled, telling Aqua that they were both Keybladers and that he wouldn't feel offended. Even after that, Aqua decided to tell her story. She told of trying to save Terra by sacrificing herself and sending him back to Radiant Gardens, letting him become Xehanort and causing the Heartless to spread. She even told of turning her homeland into the hideous Castle Oblivion just to protect Ven. And, just like she warned, this story began to make Sora angry.

"So....you mean to say....that you let Xehanort go? You saved him just so you could save Terra's body?" Sora asked. Aqua nodded. As Riku began to piece together Aqua's stories with their own encounters, Sora started to remember everything that happened and growled.

"Sora?" Goofy asked. Suddenly, Sora turned to Aqua, with an angry glare, and grabbed her by the straps on her shirt. The others gasped.

"You! You caused all of this! The Heartless, Organization XIII, causing me to be separated from Kairi, nearly losing my friend Riku.....you caused EVERYTHING that's happened up until now!" Sora yelled. Aqua couldn't say anything else and was just staring, frightened of him.

"Thanks to you, my friend Naminé was suffering in Castle Oblivion! Xehanort almost took over my friend Riku and he started the Heartless threat!" Sora shouted, rattling Aqua. Kairi could see the anger in Sora's eyes, almost appearing scared of him herself.

"Please! I....I didn't mean for any of that to happen! I....I only did what I felt was right!" Aqua shouted, sounding scared. But Sora wasn't letting up at all. He pulled one of his hands back, making a fist.

"You're gonna pay for this! Starting right NOW!" Sora exclaimed. Suddenly, he was being held back by Donald and Goofy with all their might, stopping him from doing anything.

"Sora! Stop!" Donald squawked.

"Sora! Pull yourself together! Aqua's our friend!" Goofy exclaimed. Sora continued to fuss.

"Agh! Donald! Goofy! Let me go!" Sora shouted. Mickey watched Sora and couldn't believe his reaction. Kairi and Riku couldn't believe their eyes either. Suddenly, Lloyd grabbed Sora, raised him up and slapped his face.

"Stop this! Right now! You don't have any RIGHT to blaim Aqua! She didn't mean to start any of this! Don't you realize that?!" Lloyd shouted. But Sora was going to say something else, stopped again by Lloyd.

"She wanted to protect her friends! While these events might have brought unfortunate things for you and probably many other people, she did them out of the love for her friends! Are you saying it's wrong to go to extreme measures for your friends? Huh?!" Lloyd shouted. Sora finally was speechless, unable to say anything else. He looked around at everyone else looking at him.

"I.....I......I'm such an idiot." Sora groaned, covering his face with his hand. Kairi and the others looked on at Sora, unsure about what to say. Sora then turned to Aqua.

"Aqua? I'm.....I'm so sorry about exploding like that. I'm such an idiot." Sora groaned. Aqua looked at Sora's eyes, seeing his sincere feelings shining now, and told him she was not upset. Sora thanked her, shedding a small tear himself.

"I'm sorry myself....for unknowingly causing everything bad to happen to you. I hope you can forgive me." Aqua said. Sora smiled and helped her up.

"Yeah. Of course I can. After all, we're both Keybladers and I came here to save you. That's just what I plan to do." Sora said. The others felt relieved, giving a sigh. Aqua got a good look into Sora's eyes and she almost saw a faint image of Ventus where he stood.

"Sora? You....You remind me of someone I know. You remind me so much of Ventus right now." Aqua said. Sora looked at himself and chuckled.

"Well, maybe it's because I have his Keyblade?" Sora asked, showing her Ven's Keyblade. Aqua shook her head.

"No. Your personality. You....You just remind me of him. He was just like you, a bit naive, but a young boy with a strong heart and desire to protect others." Aqua said. Sora chuckled a bit.

"Really? Wow. He must've been one great guy then." Sora said. Kairi giggled.

"Yeah. And if she says you're just like him, I'm happier to have you as a friend." Kairi said. Sora then asked Aqua if she knew where Ventus was, reminding her that he asked him to come here.

"Well, I...." Aqua said. Just then, someone else approached. It was a mysterious man in an Organization XIII cloak.

"Ventus is not in this realm Sora. He resides deep within Castle Oblivion." the man said. The others looked on at the mysterious man, seeing a beard underneath the hood. Riku smirked.

"I should've guessed that was you. Hello Ansem." Riku said. Sora and Mickey suddenly gasped.

"What?! Ansem?!" they exclaimed. They looked on, seeing Ansem pull back his hood.

"It's been too long, my friends." Ansem said. Aqua suddenly gasped.

"Wait. I know you. Aren't you....You are Ansem the Wise? The leader of Radiant Gardens?!" Aqua asked. Ansem nodded.

"Thank you for keeping me company Aqua. But right now, we should all band together to find our way out of here. Ventus and Terra are still out there Sora, waiting for you to rescue them." Ansem said. Sora turned to Ansem.

"But....I thought Ven told me to come here and rescue everyone. Why would he lie?" Sora asked. Ansem looked down at Aqua.

"He probably lied about his exact location....so you would rescue Aqua from her insufferable fate. She has been here for more than twelve years, barely surviving the Heartless that dwell here." Ansem said. The others gasped and looked at one another.

"Well, that's a good enough reason for us. We came here on a rescue mission, so I see no way this could possibly alter it." Riku said. Sora and Kairi agreed.

"Aqua? Come with us. We'll help you get out of here. You've suffered enough." Kairi said, extending her hand. Aqua's eyes began to fill with tears. She smiled as she shook Kairi's hand.

"Thank you.....all of you....." Aqua said, sniffling shortly after. Sora watched Kairi and Aqua embracing in a hug, watching Aqua letting herself cry on Kairi's shoulder, smiling just as he did before.

"Ven? Terra? Hold on. We're coming. I won't let you guys suffer anymore either." Sora thought, looking up at the sky.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	5. Ch 63: Escape from the Dark Side

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 63: Escape from the Dark Side_**

Sora and friends, having found Aqua and Ansem, were now rushing back to the portal to Doofenshmirtz' lair, still assured that it was open.

"Come on guys! The portal is just up ahead! We'll be able to get back and find a way to reach Castle Oblivion!" Sora called. The others hurried to keep up with him. Just then, they rushed right into a pack of Heartless. In the deceased trees, they were all Powerwild and Bouncywild Heartless.

"Heartless!" Lloyd called. Everyone drew their weapons as the Heartless attacked. Sora was surrounded by Powerwilds, but could easily drive them back when they lunged for him. Kairi fought alongside Sora as Riku and Mickey took on the Bouncywild.

"Be careful Riku! These Heartless will probably not have an end to them since we are in THEIR world!" Mickey called. Riku groaned, holding a Bouncywild back with his Keyblade.

"Yeah! I know that! You just.....ouf!" Riku yelled before he was attacked and knocked down from above.

"Riku!" Lloyd called. He looked up and saw another Heartless overhead. It was a Wyvern Heartless, with its eye on Riku.

"Hold on! I'll take this one!" Aqua called. Holding her blade, she began to glow brighty as the Wyvern dove at her.

"Let there be light! Rainbow Shower!" Aqua exclaimed. She then came at the Wyvern and slashed at it rapidly before sending multiple color lights at it, evaportaing it and setting the heart free. She then fired more light beams and evaporated a few Bouncywild Heartless.

"Hey! Thanks for the save!" Lloyd called. Aqua nodded and lunged away when she felt another coming. This time, it was a Duel Blade Heartless.

"Whoa. Never met this one. All right. Anyone know how to fight a Heartless we've never met before?" Sora asked.

"Is there really a right way? Just get it!" Donald squawked. He went charging towards the Heartless, but was suddenly sent flying back when it began to spin. Sora gasped and dived for the duck as he came down.

"That's why you don't go charging at a new enemy." Sora said. Donald grumbled and hopped out of Sora's arms. The Dual Blade then lunged into the air and attacked Aqua, but Riku deflected it and knocked it down.

"Come on! Let's keep moving!" Riku called. They begun to charge ahead, trying to outrun the Heartless behind them. Goofy looked back.

"Wow! Keep going guys! They're gaining on us!" Goofy exclaimed. Sora looked back and saw the Dual Blade still tailing them. Riku groaned and turned towards the Heartless.

"Back off!" Riku exclaimed. He charged for it, deflected it's spinning claw as he neared it and slashed it down with one strike. Aqua was impressed.

"Your friend is amazing Sora!" Aqua gasped. Sora chuckled.

"That's Riku for you!" Sora snickered. Ansem could see the portal ahead of them.

"Hurry! I can see our way out just ahead!" Ansem called. As they hurried to the portal and Riku began to catch up, something appeared before them and stopped them dead in their tracks. It was Larxene again.

"Now where are YOU going?" Larxene asked. Sora groaned.

"Not her again." he thought. Larxene turned her sights to Aqua, causing her to gasp.

"Uh oh. Naughty girl Aqua. You can't leave. Didn't I already say that you were going to be stuck here for eternity? Shame on you." Larxene said, clicking her tongue. Aqua slowly stepped back, seemingly afraid of Larxene.

"Listen Larxene or....whatever your name is, leave Aqua alone! She's suffered enough!" Kairi shouted. But suddenly, Kairi felt her shoulder knicked by one of Larxene's knives, thrown at her without a sound.

"Kairi!" the others gasped. Larxene chuckled as Kairi gripped her shoulder.

"Kairi, are you okay? Did she make a mark?" Riku asked. Kairi moved her hand back and showed a red mark where Larxene had hit her. Sora growled.

"Now you're attacking Kairi? You're one sick woman Larxene! You know that? I have a good guess why Organization XIII wanted a Nobody like you." Sora said. Larxene chuckled.

"My days as an Organization XIII girl are over with. Or didn't you notice that I am now......a Lifeless?" Larxene asked. The others gasped.

"A....A what?" Aqua asked.

"A Lifeless. It's a fusion of a Heartless and a Nobody. We'll explain later." Riku said. Ansem looked on at Larxene and was utterly shocked to hear what she was born from.

"She must be extremely dangerous! Sora! Riku! Be careful!" Ansem called. Larxene laughed and started charging up electricity around her. She then let it off in an explosion and, appearing as a silhouette in the smoke, Larxene had transformed.

"Wak! Is that her?!" Donald squawked. Larxene now beared a purle and white cloak with a giant witch hat covering her eyes and the top half of her head, wielding two lighting sabers under her long sleeves and around her were multiple Yellow Opera in the shape of a circle.

"I think I've seen a Heartless wear that same outfit. Isn't it one of those Wizard ones?" Sora asked. They suddenly saw Larxene nod, saying that was the Heartless she was fused with.

"Now then, get ready for a flash fry! I'm gonna light you up brighter than a Christmas tree!" Larxene cried. She crossed her two sabers and sent a sparking yellow X towards Sora. Everyone gasped and leaped aside, missing the attack completely.

"Whoa! She sure has some new tricks!" Sora gasped. Larxene chuckled.

"But of course. You think I'd honestly come back into battle with the same old moves? Heh. No way!" Larxene called. She laughed and fired another X towards Kairi. She managed to avoid it as Aqua rose her blade to defend herself.

"She....She's truly powerful! What is she?" Aqua asked. Just then, she saw Larxene vanish in a flash. When Aqua looked again, Larxene was right behind her!

"I already told you. Perk up your ears girl!" Larxene shouted. She attacked and struck Aqua's back with both sabers.

"Why you!" Lloyd shouted. He charged for Larxene with blades drawn and was able to intercept her before she could strike Aqua again. Larxene groaned.

"Buzz off spiky!" Larxene shouted. The Yellow Opera around her fired lightning bolts at Lloyd and zapped him, driving him back. But after turning away, Sora attacked and struck Larxene in the chest with his blade. He then quickly unleashed a combo attack before Larxene could warp away.

"Gawrsh! She's fast!" Goofy gasped. Larxene appeared again, groaning and dusting the front of her cloak.

"Finally, one of you shows a little "determination" to win. Let's make this as fun as we can, all right?" Larxene asked, raising her arms. She came darting at Kairi next, but Mickey intercepted and knocked her guard wide open enough for him to strike back.

"You're right. Let's make this fight a bit more fun. With our combined powers, it'll be lights out for you in no time!" Mickey chuckled. Larxene growled.

"Quiet you pesky mouse!" Larxene snarled. She tried to attack Mickey, but the king was able to dodge and jump back from her without a scratch.

"Wow. That was one pretty lame pun there your majesty." Sora said. Mickey looked up at Sora.

"What? "Lights out" wasn't that funny? Hmm. Times change." Mickey asked. Larxene growled and extended her sabers.

"Oh. So you think I'm a PUSHOVER against all of you? Fine then! Time to even the odds!" Larxene shouted. Suddenly, Larxene summoned multiple copies of herself and surrounded Sora's group.

"See what happens when you egg your opponent on your majesty?" Riku asked. All the Larxene clones laughed.

"Now we'll REALLY set some sparks ablaze! This is where you all fry!" they shouted. But Mickey wasn't surprised one bit.

"Sora! Donald! Time to get wet!" Mickey called. Sora and Donald raised an eyebrow.

"What?" they asked. Mickey groaned.

"Soak Larxene with WATER." Mickey muttered. They suddenly got the hint and nodded. Sora whispered their plan to Aqua and she agreed to help. Goofy soon got the hint as well.

"If you think your clones scare us Larxene, you're just a coward yourself!" Sora called. The Larxene clones growled.

"That's it! You're ASKING for it Keyblader!" Larxene shouted. They all lunged for her as Sora, Donald and Aqua gathered together by Goofy. They all fired lightning bolts at the Keybladers, but Goofy quickly used Goofy Tornado and used his shield to deflect the lightning back at them, paralyzing them on contact.

"Now! Let it rain!" Sora called. Donald fired a large dose of fire magic as Sora and Aqua used blizzard magic. They ended up causing a giant sprinkler effect to douse the field, drenching each of the paralyzed Larxene clones.

"Water?" Kairi asked.

"They all are pure electricity! Think Kairi. What happens when electricity meets water?" Ansem asked. Kairi thought for a moment before getting the idea. All the Larxene clones shrieked from the water sprinkling down on them.

"Water?! No!" they exclaimed. All the clones came together as one Larxene, feeling her power overloading from the water.

"This....This is ridiculous! I short circuit when wet?!" Larxene exclaimed. She suddenly began flashing brightly, tucking in her legs and arms.

"She's gonna blow!" Sora exclaimed.

"Hurry! The portal!" Ansem shouted. Everyone charged ahead for the portal, but just as they were about through, Larxene shrieked loudly and exploded. The force blew Sora's group through the portal and sent them spiraling through it. At the portal's other end, Sora and friends came crashing down to the ground and skidded across the dirt.

"Oh man. That....That was close." Lloyd groaned. Donald got up and spit the dirt from his bill.

"Is everyone all right?" Sora asked, getting a nod from everyone. However, Kairi noticed something very odd after she helped Aqua up.

"Uhhhh....Sora? Is it me or....did Radiant Garden go through some very STRANGE changes while we've been gone?" Kairi asked. Sora looked ahead and gasped.

"Well, Kairi? I don't think we're in Radiant Gardens anymore." Sora said. Riku, Ansem, Aqua and Mickey gasped too, seeing what Sora was looking at.

"No. We're....." Ansem began to say. Rather than returning to Radiant Gardens, the portal had brought Sora and his friends just outside Castle Oblivion.

"Castle Oblivion...." Sora muttered. Just then, Aqua began to stutter.

"Actually....it's called the Land of Departure, my.....our old home....." Aqua stuttered.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	6. Ch 64: The Gift of Another

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 64: The Gift of Another_**

Sora and his friends looked on at Castle Oblivion before them. Aqua still could not believe that her desire to protect Ventus would resolve in turning their once beautiful home world into the grim and freakish castle that now stood before her.

"Aqua, where is Ventus? How do you propose we find him?" Ansem asked.

"He's in a secret chamber that I made sure stayed hidden away. It was where our master....used to...." Aqua said before falling silent. Sora and Kairi looked back at her.

"Aqua? Are you okay?" Goofy asked. Aqua shook her head a little, trying to forget about Master Eraqus and focus on Ven.

"N...Never mind. Come on. We need to find Ventus. He's inside." Aqua said. Sora nodded and approached the two doors. Everyone followed Sora in after he pulled the front door open. Riku took a look around.

"I never thought I'd see this empty place again." Riku said.

"At least with Organization XIII not occupying it, we may not have any trouble." Mickey said. Lloyd wasn't too sure, feeling the strange uneasy dark energy around them.

"Then that means this world has been lodged inbetween the realms of light and darkness." Ansem explained. Aqua looked around before Sora suddenly felt a warm pulse in his chest.

"Sora? What's the matter?" Donald asked.

"I....I don't know. My heart....feels kinda funny right now." Sora said, feeling the pulse again.

"Funny how?" Riku asked "Does it feel like it's in pain?" Sora shook his head, saying it felt more soothing and tingly than pain struck. Aqua gasped.

"Perhaps that is Ventus trying to contact us! Ventus! Is that you?" Aqua asked. Suddenly, Sora saw a faint image of Ventus appear inbetween him and Aqua. He appeared to be in a daze, as if awakening from his coma.

"Aqua....you.....you're all right." he muttered. Aqua slowly began to shed tears, seeing her friend again.

"Ventus! It IS you!" Aqua gasped. She then tried to hug him, instead running clear through and hugging Sora. Kairi quickly pointed it out before she got anymore "personal" in her reunion. Aqua gasped and released Sora, causing Donald and Goofy to chuckle.

"Sora....thanks. Thanks for.....for rescuing Aqua." Ventus said. Sora smirked and winked.

"Now it's your turn Ven. We came here to find you now. Can....Can you help us find where you are?" Sora asked. Ventus looked back at him.

"I...I can try. Follow the trail of light." Ventus said. He then faded away and a long gold stream of light shot out of Sora's chest and formed a floating trail.

"What's that?" Donald asked.

"Maybe that is Ven's heart showing us the way." Riku said. Kairi figured that, whatever it was, it was their best chance to find Ven. Aqua agreed and they all followed after the trail Ven left. They headed on down the hall until Sora heard voices. He ducked behind a column and told his friends to do the same, having to pull Donald back when he didn't hear him.

"Sora? What is it?" Ansem asked. Sora quickly shushed Ansem and ducked back as two dark portals suddenly opened. Emerging from them was Marluxia and Zexion, both in their Organization XIII cloaks.

"Organization XIII?" Kairi asked quietly. Aqua peeked out, almost recognizing Zexion as Ienzo. Ansem sighed in disgrace after seeing Zexion.

"It's got to be here. That blasted chamber. I wonder why Xemnas was ever so INTERESTED in a stupid room anyway." Marluxia groaned. Zexion glared at him.

"Be patient Marluxia. We've only checked one fourth of the castle. We're bound to find it." Zexion said. Marluxia groaned and looked away.

"We better. Because I already had some bad experiences in this castle and I want to get out of here as soon as I can." Marluxia said. They then warped away into a dark portal, making it safe for Sora and the others to step out.

"Hey....that one man. He....He looked like someone I met before." Aqua said. Ansem sighed.

"The young man with the silver hair. Ienzo.....that poor boy." Ansem muttered. Riku looked over at Ansem.

"Ansem? Do you know that guy?" Riku asked. Ansem nodded.

"Before he became what you see him as now, he was once my son." Ansem said. Sora looked on, confused at all of this.

"Wait. So, Zexion's human self....was your son?" Sora asked.

"Not exactly. Long ago, when Zexion....I mean, Ienzo was but a boy, his parents were killed. I took pity on him and adopted him. Little would I know that he would turn on me as well and become a Nobody." Ansem groaned. Sora seemed a bit worried, amazed that Ansem lost someone that close to him.

"Wow. It must hurt when a friend you know turns against you." Sora said. Riku then silently looked over at Sora before looking away again, hoping not to catch attention. Kairi looked for the gold trail and pointed it out to the others again.

"Come on. Let's keep going before they come back." Goofy said. Sora soon looked back at it and nodded, leading the others down the path. The trail took them through different hallways and turns in the castle's main floor until it came to a wall.

"A wall? Maybe Ven is behind it?" Sora asked.

"Hmm. Aqua? Do you have anyway of entering beyond here?" Ansem asked. Aqua looked at the wall.

"I think I have just what you need." Aqua said. She approached the wall and rested her hand against it gently. Suddenly, a glowing blue light appeared around her hand and extended out, making glowing lines across the wall.

"Wak! What's going on?!" Donald exclaimed.

"Amazing." Lloyd muttered. After the wall began to glow, Aqua moved her hand away to reveal a door. It was a solid white door with two heart like crests against both doors and chains that led down to the base.

"This is it. Ven is just beyond this door." Aqua said. Aqua and Sora approached the doors and opened them up slowly. Everyone saw the large white room before them, decorated with the same crest and chains. Ahead of Sora was a white throne, with Ventus' body laying stiff in it.

"Ven!" Sora exclaimed. They hurried over to him as Sora grabbed Ven and shook him.

"Ven? Ven! Come on! Open your eyes!" Sora called. Aqua sighed.

"It's no use Sora. Ven has lost his heart. He won't wake up without it." Aqua said. Riku looked down at Ven's face, seeing the resemblance of Roxas.

"Hey....Sora? This might sound fishy. But....I think I know why your Nobody and Ven look so much alike. I....I think that you must bear his heart." Riku said. The others gasped and looked at Sora.

"Sora....has Ven's heart? But....But how?!" Lloyd asked.

"The same thing happened to me when our home was attacked by Heartless. I let my heart pass onto Sora and....he protected it. He kept my heart safe until it was able to return to me." Kairi said. Mickey approached Ven and looked at his face.

"Poor kid. He's been like this for twelve whole years. Sora? We need to wake him up and fast." Mickey said. Sora nodded, but wondered how that was going to happen. If Riku was right, Sora would need to think of some way to give Ventus back his heart. Just then, he got an idea. He called forth Ven's Keyblade and turned to Ventus.

"Sora? What are you doing?" Goofy asked. Donald gasped.

"Sora! Don't turn yourself into a Heartless again! You might've freed Kairi's heart that way, but do you need to do something drastic like THAT again?!" Donald asked. Sora looked back at Donald.

"What? No. No. I'm not doing that. Trust me." Sora said. Ansem nodded, telling Sora he trusts him completely. Sora thanked Ansem before bending down to Ven's level.

"Okay. Ventus? This.....This is all I have. So, let's hope this works." Sora said. He set the Keyblade in Ven's hands and he called for his own.

"Here we go. Guys? Stand back." Sora said. The others nodded and slowly stepped back. Sora then spread his legs apart and the glowing mark appeared around Sora's legs. Suddenly, Ven's Keyblade began to glow and so did a spot on his chest.

"This it! Ven? Time to give you back your life! Return to the realm of the light!" Sora cried. He then fired a beam of light from his blade directly at Ventus. His Keyblade acted on instinct and their beams met from each tip. Sora then felt a pain in his chest as a clear orb of light was shot outward and rushed back to Ventus.

"Is that Ven's heart?" Kairi asked.

"It must be. Look! It's heading right for him!" Riku shouted. The orb faded back into Ven's body, right through his chest. After that, the light between both faded away and Sora's Keyblade vanished.

"Wha....What the?" Sora asked. The others slowly approached Sora.

"Sora? What happened?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know. I know that I gave Ven his heart back. But....where's my Keyblade?" Sora asked. Just then, they heard someone groan. All eyes turn to Ventus as his eyes slowly began to open. Though his sight was blurry, Ven looked all around him before seeing the others out of the corner of his eye.

"Sora.....Aqua....." Ven muttered. Aqua gasped and rushed over, hugging Ventus as he leaned up.

"Ven! It's you! It's really you this time!" Aqua exclaimed. Tears raced down her face, her arms wrapped around Ven.

"Aqua...." Ven muttered. Aqua began to cry a little.

"I'm so sorry. I.....I never wanted to lose you or Terra!" Aqua sniffled. Ven looked down at her and sighed.

"Come on Aqua. You've got to pull yourself together. You're a Keyblade Master, right?" Ven asked. Aqua then looked at Ven and rested her hand against his cheek.

"You just don't know how happy I am....to see you awake again." Aqua sniffled. Ven smiled and gently hugged her.

"Me too." Ven said. The others looked at each other with happy grins as Kairi was feeling a bit teary as well. Suddenly, Aqua looked at Ven and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ven started to blush and rubbed his face, chuckling afterwards. He then saw Sora and hopped out of the chair, wobbling a bit at first.

"Sora....thanks." Ven said. Sora nodded.

"All right then. Mission accomplished. Whaddya say we get out of here now?" Mickey asked. Sora nodded, but also said they should be prepared if Marluxia returned. He tried to call his Keyblade, but nothing came.

"Whuh.....What?!" Sora gasped.

"Sora? What is it?" Riku asked. Sora frantically waved his arm, hoping to see the Keyblade come back. But it never came, only a flash was seen and that was it.

"The....The Keyblade. I....I don't have it anymore." Sora said. The others gasped.

"Then....the reason you even HAD it.....was because of Ven's heart." Ansem said. Sora and Ven looked directly at one another. Ven waved his hand and the Keyblade appeared. Sora groaned and dropped to his knees.

"Sora?" Goofy asked. Sora shook his head.

"No. This...This can't be. I'm.....I'm a FRAUD?" Sora asked. Kairi and Riku couldn't believe the way they saw Sora now. Riku approached Sora.

"Don't say that Sora. You've done a lot with the Keyblade. If....If you had to give it up to bring Ven back, you made a great sacrifice." Riku said. Sora sighed and looked at Ven.

"Riku's right. Don't worry Ven. I...I think I'll be all right." Sora said. Ven looked at his blade and sighed.

"Sora? I'm....I'm sorry." Ven said. But before he could continue, a dark portal appeared behind him and grasped Ven's neck. Appearing from the portal was Marluxia, choking Ven.

"Found you at last....Ventus!" Marluxia sneered. Aqua gasped.

"Let him go Marluxia!" Sora shouted. Ven groaned and tried to break free, striking Marluxia's arm with his blade. As Zexion appeared next, Marluxia growled and let go of Ven and rubbed his arm.

"I had a feeling we had RATS here earlier." Marluxia groaned. He shook his arm before turning to Ventus. He summoned his scythe.

"Now then....if any of you want to leave here ALIVE, you'll hand the boy to me now." Marluxia said. But Aqua stepped inbetween them.

"No! You're not going to get your filthy hands on Ven!" Aqua exclaimed. Ven agreed and told Aqua he'd rather fight than be someone's sacrifice. Marluxia growled.

"That wasn't a request. It's an ORDER!" Marluxia shouted. He then charged for both Keybladers and attacked, but somehow, Sora charged inbetween them and took the blow. He tumbled across the floor before striking his back against the throne.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed. Marluxia looked on as Sora rose up.

"Hmph. Foolish boy. Without the Keyblade, you're NOTHING!" Marluxia shouted. He then sent a wave of petals at Sora, striking him with each razor sharp petal and knocked him down again.

"Heh. If....I beat you before......Marluxia....I'll....beat you....again....." Sora groaned. Marluxia soon laughed.

"Like you stand a chance now! You should've let the Keybearer sleep. Then you would NEVER have lost it!" Marluxia shouted. He then waved his hand and Dusk Nobodies appeared, lunging for Sora.

"Gah!" he exclaimed, being buried beneath the Nobodies. His friends gasped as Sora tried to fight his way out. He wasn't strong enough and was being overrun by them, only showing his right hand sticking out.

"Sora!" Kairi screamed. She was the first to rush over as Donald and Goofy followed. Though Kairi and the others were only able to drive a few off, they saw Sora being dragged down into the darkness by a Nobody clutching him.

"No! Sora!" Kairi exclaimed. She reached for his hand and grasped it, supported by Donald and Goofy. The others looked on in shock.

"Sora! Don't let go!" Lloyd exclaimed. Kairi felt her feet beginning to skid as more Nobodies grasped onto Sora and pulled against her. Kairi peeked out her eye as a tear flooded her sight.

"No.....Sora.....not again. I....I won't let you go!" Kairi cried. Sora looked up at Kairi's crying face.

"Kairi! Save yourself! Just let me go! You guys have to help Ven! He needs you!" Sora exclaimed.

"No! Sora! I'm not going to let you go! If you fade back into darkness, we might never find you again! Don't sacrifice yourself for us! Don't!" Kairi screamed. The others hurried over also, catching onto Donald and Goofy as they were slipping. Sora soon couldn't believe how many people were trying to help him. The Nobodies continued to add force, but they soon found themselves losing as the strength of Sora's friends yanked him right out of the darkness. As they caught their breath, Marluxia huffed.

"How pathetic. You should've just let the boy go." Marluxia said. He then raised his scythe and targeted Kairi. He gave a forceful swing and sent a wave of his petals their way. But Sora suddenly saw it and hurried in front of them, taking the strike directly again.

"Marluxia....leave them alone." Sora groaned, dropping to one knee. He huffed and puffed, feeling the aftermath of his close encounter.

"How will you fight without the Keyblade? That was ALL you had to protect yourself." Marluxia said. Sora looked back at his friends before locking eyes onto Marluxia and groaned.

"You know what Marluxia? Who cares about the Keyblade? I have an even STRONGER weapon....a heart!" Sora shouted. Marluxia huffed.

"Sure. How can that thing help you now?" Marluxia asked.

"I'll tell you how. It's grown from all the friends I've made. I've become apart of every person I've met and they've become part of me, making my heart grow even stronger. It's so strong right now....that I don't think I even NEED the Keyblade to beat you!" Sora shouted. Marluxia snarled.

"Don't talk to me about how strong your heart is! Prove it then! Or be sucked into oblivion!" Marluxia exclaimed. He then lunged for Sora and attacked, but as Sora shielded himself, something happened. A large flash was seen and it blew Marluxia away.

"What...What was that?!" Aqua gasped. Ven gasped.

"Look! In his hands!" Ven cried. Sora opened his eyes and peeked at his hand. In his hand was the Keyblade, but it was a new shape. It appeared more sleek and slender, with an emblem of a blue heart on the keychain besides Mickey's head. It was the Kingdom Key, but in a new form.

"The Keyblade? But....how did...?" Sora asked. But suddenly, he heard a voice:

_Sora, your heart is pure and brave. You have risked your life, even your very heart, to protect those close to you. Your heart is one of the strongest I have ever seen. You are truly....worthy of wielding the Keyblade......_

Sora couldn't make out the voice. But now, it didn't seem to matter. Sora took his stance and held the Keyblade tightly. Marluxia growled and went into his stance as well.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	7. Ch 65: Dance of 1,000 Petals

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 65: Dance of 1,000 Petals_**

Sora and Marluxia were soon drawn in a fierce battle, swinging their weapons at each other with no end. Sora managed to get Marluxia into a stalemate long enough to deflect him and strike his side. Marluxia skidded across the floor.

"This....This is impossible. How can a little pest like you.....be THIS strong? How?!" Marluxia growled. Sora eyed Marluxia with his blade in his hand.

"It's because I'm not someone's pawn like you! I have a heart! And I believe in the power of my friends! You probably wouldn't understand since you're just a Nobody!" Sora shouted. Marluxia growled and lunged for Sora. He fired a wave of petals at him, but the attack was deflected by Goofy darting in with his shield.

"Sora ain't gonna lose to you! We believe in him and we'd help him to the end!" Goofy called. As Marluxia landed, he was spooked when Donald fired a Thundaga at him.

"That's right! And we're certainly not afraid of you!" Donald squawked. Marluxia soon saw Kairi, Riku, Ven and Aqua stand by Sora's side. He growled, clutching his scythe tighter.

"Then you will all DIE with him!" Marluxia exclaimed. He yelled and slammed his fist to the ground, summoning giant black circles beneath them. All three circles surrounded Marluxia and the others jumped back. Zexion seemed a bit shocked by this.

"Marluxia! What are you doing?! You're not going to do what I think you're going to do!" Zexion called. Marluxia looked back at Zexion, showing pure rage in his eyes.

"Yes Zexion! That is EXACTLY what I'm gonna do! This Keyblade wielding brat needs to be taught a lesson! And I'm the one to DO it!" Marluxia exclaimed. He then faced Sora and surrounded himself with his own petals. They formed a twister around him as it swallowed Marluxia up into it. The others watched on.

"Now what?!" Ven asked.

"Look out! This might be the same as with Larxene!" Aqua exclaimed. Marluxia gave a yell before his petals scattered everywhere around him. When they finally calmed down, Sora saw Marluxia had changed as well. Marluxia's coat was covered with petals, all razor sharp on the edges, his sleeves had thorns sticking out and he appeared to have a chain going across his chest.

"What in the? What did he turn into this time?" Sora asked. Marluxia chuckled, looking at his new form.

"Yes....this power. It's incredible! Ha ha! Now I see why Xemnas chose this power! It will lead us to a whole new LEVEL of possibilities!" Marluxia laughed. Zexion couldn't believe his eyes. Marluxia suddenly stretched out his arms and thorn covered vines shot out. They stabbed the sides of the walls and when he turned towards Sora, they were coming his way.

"Everyone! Duck!" Sora called. Sora and the others, including Zexion, ducked down as Marluxia spun himself around over head.

"What's the matter Keyblader?! Afraid to fight me now?!" Marluxia exclaimed. He laughed and then swung one arm down at Sora, slamming him hard into the floor.

"Sora!" Lloyd exclaimed. Marluxia laughed and attacked again, but his vine was sliced by Lloyd interfering with his swords. Ansem looked back at Zexion, seeing the chopped off vine was heading for him.

"Ienzo! Look out!" Ansem exclaimed. He hurried over to Zexion and knocked him down, shielding the Nobody with his body.

"What the? Ansem the Wise?" Zexion asked. Ansem looked down at the Nobody's face.

"Call it an "old man's folly", but I still wouldn't want the boy I raised to be hurt." Ansem said. They then looked back at Marluxia regrowing the sliced off vine.

"Remember this well Sora! I have turned into a Lifeless, fused together with the Leechgrave Heartless!" Marluxia exclaimed. Sora didn't say he had any memory of such a Heartless, neither did the others.

"Well, that doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I'll finally CRUSH you!" Marluxia exclaimed. He swung again, but Sora avoided and jumped back. His petals then stuck out of his jacket and came at them like miniature buzz saws. Everyone dodged them as Kairi used her Keyblade to knock one back at Marluxia, knicking his shoulder. Ventus then took his stance.

"Get ready! Here comes a little trick I like to call the Speed Rave!" Ventus shouted. He began to glow before darting around the room like a bullet, slicing apart Marluxia's vines into chunks. He also struck a few blows to Marluxia, knocking him to the ground, before returning to his starting place.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Sora exclaimed. Ventus smirked.

"Hey. I specialize in speed." Ventus chuckled. But even with Sora and Ventus chuckling, Marluxia rose up and he was growling louder than ever.

"You think that's funny?! You think I'm a pushover! Well, NO MORE!" Marluxia exclaimed. He then slammed both hands to the floor and up rose giant black vines with snapping mouths. He laughed as they sprouted up all around him.

"Marluxia! Look at yourself! The power is overwhelming you! Calm down before you evaporate!" Zexion exclaimed. But Marluxia could no longer hear him, focused only on Sora's absolute destruction. Sora drew his blade and eyed Marluxia amongst his monstrous plants.

"You wanna know something Marluxia? I never did like you. You tormented a friend of mine, used her to turn me into a puppet and threatened to kill her just to protect your own hide!" Sora exclaimed. Marluxia snarled.

"You're nothing but a slimy coward! You'd NEVER fight me head on when you can just have someone fight for you!" Sora shouted. Marluxia growled and sent his plants to attack, watching them being sliced down one by one from Sora.

"A coward?! A COWARD?! I am NO coward Sora! I'll show you my TRUE POWER! Prepare to be mulched!" Marluxia roared. He then sent everything he had at Sora, who was able to deflect them each with one quick swipe, leaving Marluxia wide open.

"What?! No! No!" Marluxia gasped. Sora yelled and drew back his blade.

"Marluxia! This is for Naminé!" Sora exclaimed. He then drove his Keyblade straight into Marluxia's chest. That one blow pierced right through Marluxia.

"No....I.....I cannot be.......Xemnas......" Marluxia groaned, coughing a little blood as he faded away. His plants did the same as a heart rose up and evaporated. As Sora put his blade away, they all looked around at the state the room was now.

"Wow. This place is really trashed." Mickey said. Riku nodded.

"But...at least we stopped Marluxia. That's all that matters." Kairi said. They then saw Ansem rise up with Zexion.

"Whoa! Wait! We forgot one!" Sora shouted. They all drew their weapons and turned to Zexion.

"Wait! Don't attack!" Zexion exclaimed. Ansem stepped in front of him and shielded him.

"Sora, please. I know that Zexion is with Organization XIII and he very well betrayed me earlier in life. But....something inside of me is telling me that I cannot allow you to hurt him." Ansem said. Ansem looked back at Zexion.

"I still can't believe it. You'd....You'd still protect me.....after what you've been through?" Zexion asked. Ansem turned to Zexion and patted his shoulder.

"No matter what you become, I have a feeling that you will always be the Ienzo that I cherished as my own son." Ansem said. Suddenly, Zexion began to remember all of his memories as a human, all the days he spent with Ansem as Ienzo. A tear then came to his eye.

"Ansem...." Zexion said. Ansem smiled and hugged Zexion.

"Ienzo....my little boy." Ansem said. Sora and the others watched on, also seeing Goofy and Donald close to crying.

"Together again....is there no greater sight?" Kairi asked. Ven and Aqua looked at one another before turning away and blushing. As Ansem reunited with Zexion, Sora then saw a keyhole before him. Aqua could see it too.

"That keyhole. But....I thought that...." Aqua said. Sora then saw his Keyblade grow.

"Perhaps....it's time to change this place back to what it is SUPPOSED to be." Sora said. He aimed his Keyblade at the keyhole and fired a small beam of light. Sora focused on the lock, hoping for the world to change back. Suddenly, a bright flash emerged from the keyhole. And when the flash vanished, Sora and the others looked around them. They were no longer in Castle Oblivion, but were in Land of Departure once again, in the throne room of Eraqus and Xehanort.

"The....The Land of Departure. It's....It's back!" Ven gasped. Everyone went outside to see the large landscape and green fields all around them. Aqua began shedding a tear.

"Sora...thank you so much. You've freed Land of Departure and turned it back into what it was before." Aqua said. Sora nodded, looking at the lush beauty before him.

"Well, I thought only of restoring this world to normal. And now that it is, I think it looks a LOT better." Sora said. Kairi and Riku agreed themselves, as did Donald, Goofy and the others.

"I've got to say, you guys have an amazing homeworld." Lloyd said "Wish the others could see it." Just then, Riku asked how they were going to leave without a Gummi Ship.

"I believe I can help with that." Zexion said. He waved his arm and he was able to create a corridor of darkness.

"This will be able to bring you back to the realm of the light. This world still needs time to pull itself back to the realm of light as well. This is your best bet on moving onward." Zexion said. Ansem asked Zexion what about him.

"I'd like to come too. But I think I will make sure this world makes it back to the light. Let's meet again in Radiant Gardens....all right Ansem?" Zexion asked. Ansem nodded.

"Thank you my old friend. We shall meet again." Ansem said. Zexion then let Sora and friends move on through the corridor. Though the corridor did make it back to the realm of light, something was strangely wrong with where they were sent to.

"Well, we're back. We're in the right realm this time." Sora said. Mickey looked around.

"But.....eh.....Sora? I think we're NOT in Radiant Gardens quite yet." Mickey said. The corridor of darkness had brought Sora to a strange new world. It appeared to be a decaying castle, with nothing but dead plants around it and a pitch black sky over head.

"Out of one gloomy place and into another. Are we SURE we're in the realm of light again?" Ventus asked.

"We have to be. But....where is this place? I don't recognize it." Aqua said. Sora looked over at the castle.

"Well, only one way to find out. Let's see if we can find someone who lives here." Sora said. Kairi and the others were a bit unsure, but felt Sora had the right idea and followed him inside. In a nearby window, a glowing silhouette watched before fading away.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	8. Ch 66: Living a Ruined Life

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 66: Living A Ruined Life_**

The group entered the castle foyer, seeing nothing but ruin around them. The walls appeared to have been smashed, torn cloth and burnt marks were across the room and a gloomy feeling filled the air.

"Look at this place. It looks like some kind of war broke out in here." Lloyd said. Mickey agreed, seeing the state the foyer was in. Kairi looked around her.

"Can you guys feel it? It feels like the whole castle in pain. The air is thick with darkness and sorrow." Kairi said. Goofy blew the dust off a table and ended up blowing at Donald, coughing and swatting away the dust.

"Oops. Sorry Donald." Goofy said. Donald huffed and dusted the dust from his bill.

"How old IS this place?" Ven asked. Riku suddenly stepped on something and looked down. He stepped on a small teddy bear, slightly burnt from something. He bent down and picked it up, drawing the others near.

"A bear? It must've belonged to someone who lived here." Aqua said. Ven groaned and rubbed the back of his head.

"This place looks horrible. What even happened?" Ven asked. They suddenly heard a sound coming from the next room.

"Wak!" Donald squawked, jumping into Kairi's arms. He then got a smug glare from Sora.

"Gee Donald. I thought you'd be over your ghost fears by now." Sora said. Donald groaned and jumped out of Kairi's arms.

"I'm not scared!" Donald said, sounding confident. But Lloyd then whispered "Boo" in his ear and Donald jumped again, clinging to Goofy's back. Donald saw Lloyd and he turned bright red.

"Knock that off!" Donald squawked. Just then, they heard the sound again.

"There it is again. I think something is trying to get our attention." Ansem said. Sora nodded.

"Come on. Let's check it out. But...go slowly guys. It could be a trap." Sora said. Riku agreed and drew his blade, standing alongside Sora. Sora and Riku were the first ones in as the others stayed close. The next room appeared to be a large ballroom with many broken windows and a shattered chandelier on the floor. Tiles were broken in halve and there were more signs of the struggle.

"It even reaches in here." Ven said. Aqua walked over to the chandelier and picked up a shard of glass. The impact was powerful enough to destroy the entire thing.

"Okay. This place is just too creepy. Sora, where ARE we?" Kairi asked. Sora shrugged, wishing he knew. Suddenly, Riku felt an awkward prescence watching them.

"Who's there?" Riku exclaimed. Everyone looked around but did not see a thing.

"Riku, what are you doing? No one is here." Ven asked. But Riku told him he knew something was here since he just heard someone's voice.

"Wha...Wha...What did you hear?" Kairi asked.

"I thought I heard...wait. There it is! Listen." Riku said. Everyone fell deaf silent as a very faint voice was heard.

_...Help...me..._

Donald and Sora looked a bit spooked.

"A ghost maybe?" Lloyd asked.

"Well, it would appear that someone or some THING still dwells in this castle. Whoever is here! We mean you no harm! Please, can you show yourself to us?" Ansem asked. He heard nothing.

"This is too scary. Sora? Let's go." Kairi said. Just then, they heard another voice.

_...Help me...please...don't...don't go..._

Hearing that voice, Donald and Goofy started to cower a bit. Mickey looked around but could not see a thing. He wondered if it really was a ghost speaking to them.

"All right! If anyone is here, please show yourself! We don't wanna hurt you, but you're kinda scaring us here!" Sora shouted. Suddenly, the same glowing figure from before appeared before Sora and the others. Donald squawked and lunged into the air, landing atop Goofy.

"Forgive me. I...I didn't mean to frighten you." it said. Everyone looked at the glowing figure and saw it was a young woman with light blonde hair, decorated in a blue and white gown and beared a Keyblade in her hand.

"Oh. So here you are." Sora said. Mickey and Riku looked at the Keyblade in her hand.

"Are...Are you an ancient Keyblader?" Riku asked. The girl turned to Riku and nodded.

"My name is Princess Elisa and I am the Keyblader of this world. I am so happy you came." she said. Aqua and Ven were amazed to see there were once Keybladers before themselves.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Sora and these are my friends." Sora said "If you're a Keyblader spirit, then we've come to rescue you before an evil knight can use your powers for evil deeds." Elisa nodded, saying she heard a bit about the dark knight.

"Hi. Wow. This is our first time meeting a Keyblader much older than us. My name is Aqua and this is my friend Ventus. We're Keybladers ourselves from the Land of Departure." Aqua said. Elisa smiled.

"Land of Departure. Wow. That brings back memories. But, where you are right now is where I trained. This is the Eternal Kingdom." Elisa said. Everyone quickly glanced around.

"Some "eternal" kingdom this is. The place looks like war broke out in here." Lloyd said. But Elisa did not seem to see any ruins around her. In her mind, all she could see was the kingdom as it once was, shimmering with beauty.

"Come. You must all be exhausted from your trip here. You are free to explore the rest of my lovely castle." Elisa said. Everyone glanced at one another.

"Uhhh..."lovely castle?" Donald asked. Sora merely shrugged.

"I believe she may have a point. Maybe now we should take the time to rest after the trip we had coming here. Besides, I wouldn't mind looking at the library in this castle. Uhhh...that is, if you have one." Ansem asked. Elisa chuckled.

"Yes. We have one of the biggest libraries of all time here. You are free to explore it." Elisa said. Ansem sighed and thanked Elisa for her hospitality. As they went on, Kairi said she'd like to stay and look around here some more.

"Uhhh...all right. If you're sure with that Kairi." Sora said. Kairi nodded, saying something about this place was making her feel strange.

"You want one of us to stay here?" Mickey asked. Kairi shook her head.

"No. I'll be fine with Elisa." Kairi said. The boys merely shrugged and told Kairi they'd come back later. Kairi nodded and started to search. Elisa watched her, seeing her "smile" turn into an pure anger scowl. Kairi checked everywhere until she found something underneath the fallen chandelier. It seemed to be a torn piece of a painting.

"Hey. What is...this?" Kairi asked. Just then, one glance at the piece caused her to gasp. The person on the torn piece was herself as a child!

"But...But...that...that's me." Kairi muttered. Her head began to hurt again as she clutched her head.

"No! Not this again!" Kairi groaned. She dropped to her knees as Elisa approached her. All she did was watch as Kairi's headache worsened and more flashbacks came to her. This time, her memories showed her inside of the castle they were in now. Kairi, still a young child, stood besides a younger Elisa. They appeared to be good friends with one another.

"The time has come. It is time we let the great light decide for us...who will be the Princess of Heart." a man declared. Elisa seemed excited as Kairi was a bit nervous. A light glowed above both girls and orbited them.

"Whose heart is pure enough to bear the title of Princess of Heart? Please, show us who." the man said. The light continued to orbit until it finally stopped and entered Kairi. Elisa gasped.

"It...It's you?" Elisa asked. Kairi gasped, shocked by what just happen. Suddenly, Elisa was given glares from many eyes around her. One man approached her. He appeared to bear resemblance to Master Eraqus, perhaps a descendant of him.

"The great light has decided! Princess Kairi of Kingdom Hearts, you have been chosen to lead on as the Princess of Heart! All hail Princess Kairi!" the man exclaimed. Elisa gasped.

"Now wait just a second! How can she...?" Elisa asked. The man beside her rested his hand on her shoulder.

"It is all right. Do not worry. You should be happy for her." he said "Besides, you said that if you were not chosen, you would continue your Keyblade training, correct?" Elisa just fell silent. All she could do was watch Kairi as the memory ended and Kairi returned to normal.

"That...What was that? Princess Kairi? Kingdom Hearts? Me?" she asked. Suddenly, Kairi saw Elisa right behind her with her Keyblade raised. She gasped and quickly avoided Elisa as she attacked.

"Whoa! What the?" Kairi gasped. Elisa glared at her.

"I never thought I'd see YOUR face here...Kairi, Princess of Kingdom Hearts! I've got a little thing to say to you. And now that you're here, I finally get to say it." Elisa said. Kairi looked at her face and could not believe how angry Elisa seemed to have become after the others left.

"What are you talking about?" Kairi asked. Elisa's expression turned to a full grown scowl.

"Don't talk to me like you don't know! I want your gift! You stole my chance to become a Princess of Heart you cheapskate!" Elisa shouted. She charged for Kairi and attacked, clashing blades with her.

"Wait! Stop! What is going on? I don't understand! Sora! Help!" Kairi exclaimed. However, Kairi's cry fell on deaf ears as the others were too far away to hear her. But luckily, a faint whiff of it caught Sora's ear.

"Sora? Everything all right?" Goofy asked.

"I...I thought I heard Kairi. She sounded like she was crying for help. Guys, come on. We've got to..." Sora said. But just then, out of a dark portal in the ground, a female shaped Heartless emerged.

"Finally. I found you." it said. Sora and the others gasped, quickly drawing their weapons.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	9. Ch 67: Blinded by the Light

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 67: Blinded by the Light_**

In the ballroom, Kairi was constantly defending herself while Elisa attacked violently. She finally growled and knocked Kairi's Keyblade out of her hand. Kairi fell to the floor and was greeted by the tip of Elisa's blade close to her face.

"Wait! Really! I don't know what's going on! I don't even understand any of this!" Kairi gasped. Elisa huffed.

"I already thought I told you to stop lying. You know very well. You hail from Kingdom Hearts, you're next in line for the throne and now you're telling me that you DON'T remember?" Elisa asked. Kairi stuttered.

"Honest! I don't!" Kairi stuttered. Elisa glared at her.

"I'm not buying it. The only thing I AM surprised about is that you have a Keyblade now too! How'd you do it? Huh? How?" Elisa asked. Kairi gasped and called it back as Elisa attacked again.

"Please! Stop! Listen to me!" Kairi exclaimed. But Elisa only growled and continued to try and force her way through.

"I....I don't want to fight you! Stop! Stop!" Kairi cried. Her eyes began to drip tears as she saw the burning hate in Elisa's eyes. Kairi finally had enough and caught Elisa off guard long enough to strike back. She slashed Elisa up her chest and caused her to skid back. Kairi quickly got up and Elisa groaned.

"Because of you.....hundreds.....no.....THOUSANDS of people lost their lives! You let that horrible.....THING overrun Kingdom Hearts with Heartless! This is all YOUR fault! The Heartless continuing to grow, this kingdom's ruin.....EVERYTHING!" Elisa exclaimed. Kairi gasped.

"Now you're gonna have to PAY for this! Time to fade away you worthless existence!" Elisa roared. As she lunged for Kairi, Sora and friends were still staring down the mysterious Heartless that appeared before them. It's appearance seemed to take the shape of the Keyblade wielder Elisa but with the Heartless emblem on her chest.

"Why isn't it doing anything?" Ansem thought. Sora still held his Keyblade tightly, keeping his eyes locked on the Heartless. It suddenly sighed and raised its hands.

"Thank goodness I found you. Listen to me. I need your help." it said. Donald and Goofy glared at each other in confusion.

"Sorry Heartless. I don't help your kind." Sora huffed.

"No. Listen to me. That woman is NOT Elisa. I am." the Heartless said. Riku and Aqua appeared stunned for a moment, Ven was shocked as well.

"YOU are the Keyblader Elisa?" Ven asked.

"Well....I'm more like HALF of her. She divided us up because of a terrible pain. You see our homeworld is in ruins? Well, let's say that Elisa blaims Kairi for it all." she said. Everyone gasped, Sora shocked the most.

"Kairi?! But why?!" Sora exclaimed.

"Don't you know this? I guess it must be natural since she must've had lost her memories as well." Elisa's Heartless said. Sora groaned and clutched his hand into a fist.

"Out with it! Why is Elisa blaiming Kairi?!" Sora shouted. He and the Heartless glared into each others eyes.

"It's because Kairi is not merely a Princess of Heart. She is THE heir to a throne.....Kingdom Hearts." Elisa's Heartless said. Those mere words caused everyone to gasp and their eyes widened as far as possible.

"Kairi? She's.....from Kingdom Hearts?" Sora asked, too stunned to speak. The Heartless nodded as Elisa and Kairi were still fighting in the ballroom. Kairi had just deflected an attack when she was left wide open.

"At last! You're mine WITCH!" Elisa exclaimed. Kairi gasped and could only watch. She was suddenly struck in the chest by something and gasped, coughing shortly after. Elisa's attack had pierced through Kairi and struck her at her heart. Kairi could feel herself gagging and her sight fading out.

"Finally.....after millions of years in solitude.....I finally have vengeance upon those you....whuh?" Elisa said, gasping when she saw a light flashing from Kairi.

"What....What's going on?! What is she doing?!" Elisa exclaimed. Rays of light shot out from Kairi and they surrounded Elisa, trapping her with long tentacles of light.

"No! What....What.....Gah!" Elisa screamed. The tentacles dragged her in and Kairi's wound faded away. Kairi then began to groan, clutching her chest and screaming loudly. Her scream could be heard all the way to where Sora was.

"Kairi!" everyone exclaimed. Sora and the others rushed back to the ballroom and barged into the room, smashing down the doors.

"Look!" Lloyd gasped. Sora saw Kairi standing straight in front of them. However, her outfit had changed. Her hair was a mixture of her dark pink hair and Elisa's blonde hair, her outfit changed to match that of Elisa's elegant light blue dress and she held Elisa's Keyblade.

"Kairi! Are you okay?" Sora asked. Kairi suddenly glanced over at Sora and smirked. But the second he saw her eyes, Sora gasped. Kairi's eyes now glowed gold, the same eyes he saw on Vanitas.

"No.....those eyes...." Sora stuttered. Kairi began to slowly turn towards her friends and caused them all to gasp when they saw her face.

"Yes Sora. I'm fine. I'm so happy you're here with me." Kairi said. Sora couldn't speak, feeling too scared to move. Donald squawked and pointed to Kairi.

"Kairi! What happened to you?!" Donald exclaimed.

"Darn it. It's too late. My light side somehow fused together with Kairi!" Elisa's Heartless exclaimed. Ansem gasped.

"What? You mean they fused together?" Ansem asked.

"Elisa and I are the same person, but we're two different sides of her. The one you met was pure light and I'm the darkness that makes up Elisa. Long ago, our kingdom was once allies with Kingdom Hearts." she explained. Her memories showed Kingdom Hearts as a large and majestic world, appearing like it was heaven itself.

"It lived on for years....possibly longer than anyone here has ever lived. But....there was a great dispute back then. People only started to crave more light, soon causing a full scale war." she continued. People were drawing weapons and fights soon turned into miniature war fields. Amongst the men, Kairi was getting shoved around. She was still only a child and was desperately searching for her mother.

"Mommy?! Mommy!" Kairi cried.

"Before the wars broke out, Kairi had just been decided as the next Princess of Heart. But her role is different, being the overall leader of the seven princesses. She didn't understand her place. So she wasn't aware about what was coming next." Elisa's Heartless explained. Kairi looked up and shrieked, seeing the first signs of pureblood Heartless. They were ravenous and monstrous beasts.

"Gah! What....What are those things?!" a man exclaimed. A Heartless lunged for him and pierced into his heart, making him a Heartless. They continued to sprout until the massive monster Kairi saw in her flashbacks rose up.

"Then....a horrifying creature....possibly the very SOURCE of the Heartless appeared. It began tearing the kingdom apart. Lives were lost, people became Heartless and darkness was born. To protect her, Kairi was sent far from her world...to a time where the darkness was not as strong as it was before." she finished. Sora couldn't believe it.

"And in those fights, my parents were both killed. That worthless Kairi. She couldn't stop them from dying!" Kairi shouted. Mickey and Riku gasped.

"But....that doesn't make any sense! Does this mean....Kairi is some kind of time traveling princess?" Lloyd asked. Sora groaned.

"I don't know Lloyd. But....right now....I'm not gonna let Elisa stand there and insult Kairi....especially in her body!" Sora growled. Kairi huffed.

"Oh? Well, you might wanna get used to it. It appears that when my strike pierced Kairi's heart, it caused our pure light energy to meld together. Of course, the one who has a more strong will could control it....being ME." Kairi said. Sora groaned and started to shed tears.

"I don't care! Give Kairi back! Give her BACK!" Sora exclaimed, drawing his Keyblade.

"One more question. How is it you split your two sides apart?" Ansem asked. Kairi glanced over at Ansem.

"Forbidden arts. It was a power only accessible to Keyblade masters. If one unlocks their own heart, they can force apart their very core of light and darkness. With myself free from my dark self, I became light itself." Kairi said. She then began to chuckle.

"Thanks to that, I've seen what the real threat is befalling the worlds. It's not the Heartless or anything else. It's the very EXISTENCE of darkness. If darkness doesn't exist, then no longer will people be corrupt by its influence, Heartless will all but vanish from existence...." Kairi explained. But Riku intervened.

"And the world will fall. Light and darkness are eternal. They can't exist without each other. Doing this would throw off the very fabric of reality and ultimately doom every world out there." Riku said. Mickey nodded, learning this fact first hand as well. Kairi laughed.

"Light and darkness....must co-exist? Utter nonsense! Darkness is what caused all of these calamities. And....as my final act as a Keyblade Master, I will see to the end of darkness forever!" Kairi exclaimed. She suddenly summoned Kairi's Keyblade, twirled them overhead and drove them straight into the ground. The ground began to quake.

"What's this?! An earthquake?!" Aqua gasped. Goofy raised his shield overhead to shield as chunks of the castle began coming down.

"What are you doing?!" Lloyd asked. Kairi laughed.

"I'm opening the door.....to the Interdimensional Plane!" Kairi exclaimed. Ansem gasped.

"What?! But....that's supposed to be where the links between light and dark exist!" Ansem shouted. Kairi laughed.

"That's right! Now stand aside as I finally free light from darkness!" Kairi exclaimed. She went into a hysteric laugh as she suddenly vanished. Sora growled and yelled, charging towards Kairi's portal.

"Wak! Sora! Wait!" Donald exclaimed.

"You're not taking Kairi! Come back!" Sora yelled. He leaped through and the portal suddenly shut. Ven and Aqua gasped.

"Oh no! Sora!" Riku exclaimed. On the other side, Sora and Kairi stood on a floating platform. Above them was the light and below was the darkness. Their battle platform appeared to be glass thin and it showed a giant gold heart. Kairi and Sora glared at one another.

"Tell me Keyblader. WHY are you so attached to this girl after what you've just learned? I mean....if she TRIED to stop the Heartless from being born, you wouldn't have ever been dragged into this, right?" Kairi asked. Sora remained dead silent.

"Hmph. And here I hoped that the next Keyblader I meet would understand the pain I've felt and join me." Kairi said. Sora suddenly rose his arm and called his Keyblade.

"Why do I care about Kairi? Why am I gonna stop you?" Sora asked. Kairi smirked, stating that was her previous question. Sora took his battle stance.

"Because.....I LOVE Kairi with all my heart. Since the day we first met, I cared a lot for Kairi. I became her friend, someone she could count on. And now......now...." Sora said. Kairi suddenly looked a bit surprised.

"I'm not going to stop.....until you get your filthy hands off Kairi's body!" Sora exclaimed. Kairi groaned and casted Kairi's Keyblade away, holding only Elisa's blade.

"Then you are a fool. And fools don't DESERVE the Keyblade. If you're stuck on making sure the darkness survives, you better be prepared to kill your girlfriend!" Kairi shouted. Sora growled and the two glanced at one another.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	10. Ch 68: An Everlasting Bond

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 68: An Everlasting Bond_**

Sora and Kairi charged towards each other and their Keyblades began to clash. Both were attacking with everything they had and wouldn't let up one bit. Sora was fueled by his determination to save Kairi while Elisa was fueled by her hate for darkness.

"I don't understand you! I thought you'd help me! I could tell in your heart that you wished the darkness never existed also!" Kairi exclaimed. Sora growled.

"Maybe I do. But I certainly wouldn't trade Kairi away so that would happen!" Sora shouted. Kairi groaned.

"We could save this world! We can bring back all who perished! Think about the bigger image here!" Kairi shouted. Sora glared at her.

"Think about what? Seeing the worlds collapse on themselves without darkness? Riku's right! Light and Darkness are eternal! And they need each other to support themselves!" Sora exclaimed. Kairi growled and leaped back.

"You're all fools! The darkness is what caused all of this fighting! Fighting that's lasted for countless years! If you won't help me stop it, then get out of my way!" Kairi exclaimed. She then started to dash around Sora quickly, almost turning into a glowing flash of light. She then attacked Sora in a Sonic attack and she struck hard and fast.

"Geagh! You won't get away with this! Think about what you're doing!" Sora shouted. He was able to shield himself from Kairi's final attack and the two skidded across the floor.

"Huh. I thought for sure you'd be dead by now. You're not half bad Sora. But not good enough to take on me! You'll NEVER make me return to that temple! Never!" Kairi shouted. She suddenly deflected Sora and kicked him in the chest. He groaned and slid more back.

"Not only my parents suffered, did you know? Thousands of lives were lost that day. The Darkness takes anyone who gets in it's way. Think about them. Doesn't saving their lives matter to you? A Keyblade bearer?" Kairi asked. Sora groaned.

"People that I've never met before? It was their fault that darkness came into existence in the first place! If you guys weren't hogging it so much, maybe you wouldn't have lost your world to it!" Sora shouted. Kairi began to growl, clutching her fist.

"How DARE you speak that way about those who risked their lives! You're nothing but a disgrace to the name of Keybladers!" Kairi exclaimed. She yelled and came charging. She swung her blade and sent ripples of light at Sora. He was able to dodge a few before they hit him. She then tackled into Sora and was trying to shove him off the edge.

"If I'm a disgrace, so are you! You're trying to destroy the darkness just so you can avenge them? You'll only be killing more people than you can understand! Stop now Elisa! Don't do this!" Sora shouted. He leaped over her and struck down her back. Kairi snarled and clutched Sora by his face.

"LIAR!" she screamed. Kairi thrusted Sora down to the floor and his impact caused the floor to crack slightly. She then attacked and sent Sora skidding across the ground.

"By destroying darkness, I'll be protecting thousands! You cannot comprehend the pain I've suffered!" Kairi exclaimed. Sora groaned and activated one of his artifacts. He now wielded Atlas' Keyblade as he went into a combo attack against Kairi, breaking through her defense and laying down strike after strike before sending her airborne.

"Maybe I don't want to! But look around you Elisa! Do you REALLY think this will help people? The darkness might be scary, but it's no reason to turn away from it completely!" Sora shouted. Kairi growled and regained her composure. She landed on the ground and she caused more cracks in the floor.

"Oh yeah? You're fighting one of your own just so this WITCH can get away with killing my father, my mother and thousands of lives! How can you do this to a fellow Keyblade bearer?" Kairi screamed. Sora growled.

"I don't care WHO my enemy is! If anyone threatens my friends, I'll defend them with everything I've got!" Sora shouted. Kairi growled and threw her Keyblade away. She suddenly started glowing brightly and fired a beam from her, directly down at the darkness. It caused an explosion and the world around them began to rattle and shake.

"Oh no!" Sora exclaimed. Kairi suddenly laughed insanely and her eyes began shining brightly.

"See what I just did? I finally am gonna show you that without darkness, the worlds can live in peace!" Kairi exclaimed. Sora couldn't believe it. But he wasn't about to let Elisa get away with this. Kairi then glanced at him and growled. She drew back her Keyblade and came charging.

"And as for you, I've had enough of listening to your lies! You're the only traitor the Keybladers ever had! And I'm gonna make sure you are eliminated! But just think. It won't be me. It'll be your little WITCH friend that slays you! Goodbye Sora!" Kairi exclaimed. However, Sora growled and glared up at her, his eyes full of rage. He suddenly clapped his two Keyblades together and they suddenly became a glowing light blade. It's handle flourished with feathers and it's keychain appeared as a gold heart with angelic wings.

"What...What is that? That...That can't be...the TRUE Ultimate Keyblade?" Kairi thought. Sora growled and lunged for Kairi.

"Don't...you...EVER...call Kairi...a WITCH!" Sora exclaimed. He slashed directly up Kairi's chest and she shrieked loudly. A giant flash engulfed both of them and now, Sora and Kairi stood together in a glowing sphere of light. Kairi was now free of Elisa's clutches and stood in her outfit.

"Sora...I...I..." Kairi stuttered. Sora had dropped all of his rage, showing a sincere smile on his face.

"Sorry Kairi. I...I had no idea about what was going on. But now that I do, I see now...you're even more special than I thought." Sora said. Kairi sniffled and began building tears.

"Why did you bother saving me? If...Elisa is right...and I really did cause all that...I don't deserve to live. Not after that horrible thing I've done." Kairi said.

"No. Don't say that Kairi. Just because one little accident happened, that's nothing to blaim yourself on. Besides, even if you didn't believe that, I wouldn't let you do that." Sora said, walking over to her. Kairi gasped.

"I just want you to know that...even if people would ever hate you for things you couldn't do or even if the worlds become engulfed by darkness itself...I'm never going to leave you. Because you've got friends like me that care a lot about you." Sora said. Kairi then began seeing flashes of her friends by Sora. She saw Riku, Donald, Goofy, Marta, Emil, Lloyd, Richter, Ansem, Aqua, Ventus and her grandmother pass by. Kairi started sniffling and wiped her eyes. Tears started leaking down her face.

"Sora...I..." Kairi muttered before Sora hugged her. She looked at his face and started to blush, hugging him back.

"Thank you...so much..." she sniffled. The light then returned them to the battlefield. Sora's strike forced Elisa's spirit out of Kairi's body and she fell to the ground.

"Im...possible..." Elisa muttered. Just then, beams of light and darkness were shooting up all around them. They were striking each side.

"What the? What's going on? Why is this happening?" Elisa gasped. Sora caught Kairi as she almost fainted, then turned to Elisa.

"It's just as Riku said Elisa! Darkness can't survive without light and light can't survive without darkness!" Sora shouted. They then saw the strikes beginning to pass through the floor beneath them. Everything was falling apart and it was causing a massive earthquake across the worlds.

"I'm...so sorry." Elisa muttered. Sora tried to think of what to do when Elisa's Heartless suddenly appeared.

"Hey! How'd you get here?" Sora asked.

"I'm her Heartless. I'm able to follow after her no matter where she goes. And it looks like I'm just in time." she said. The two halves of Elisa glanced at one another, not saying a word but nodding. They rose together and both drew Keyblades.

"What? What are you two doing?" Sora asked. They both looked back at Sora.

"Take care of yourself Sora. And tell Kairi...I'm sorry." Elisa said. They suddenly started glowing brightly and merged back together. Kairi's eyes slowly squinted open, only catching a faint sight of Elisa's true adult form.

"Elisa...?" Kairi muttered. A giant light suddenly flashed and it warped Sora and Kairi back to the ruined kingdom, in the ballroom.

"What the?" Sora asked. He suddenly saw his friends there waiting for him.

"Sora! You're back!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Where's Elisa? Is Kairi all right?" Aqua asked. Sora nodded and gently set Kairi down on the floor. Just by Kairi's side, he saw something. It appeared to be Elisa's charm from her Keyblade. He then looked at Kairi.

"Elisa...sacrificed herself. She did a brave thing Kairi." Sora thought. Kairi then slowly began to awaken, holding her head.

"Uhhh...what happened? Are we...Are we back?" Kairi asked. Sora nodded. Aqua came over and helped Kairi up onto her two feet.

"What happened back there anyway?" Ventus asked. Sora looked over at Kairi and then at Ven.

"Ehh...you're probably better off not knowing." Sora said. Donald and Goofy chuckled as Ven scratched his head.

"O...kay then." Ven said. Just then, they saw a glowing figure appear behind them. Sora and Kairi turned around and found it was Elisa, now a TRUE Keyblader spirit.

"Elisa..." Kairi muttered. Elisa looked at Kairi's face and she looked a bit embarrassed. Sora smirked and turned away.

"Don't worry. I'll let you two be alone. Guys?" Sora asked. The others didn't get what was going on, but they followed Sora as he left the ballroom. He looked back at Elisa and Kairi, now at peace with each other.

"Kairi. I wanted to say that I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have held my grudge against you for so many years. If you truly have forgotten what happened, I cannot blaim anything on you." Elisa said. Kairi shook her head.

"No. It's all right. Thanks to you, I...I remember a lot more now. So...thanks." Kairi said. Elisa blushed.

"Well, I wanna help you now...to help stop the Heartless. It should be a fitting punishment for someone who tried to take out a princess like yourself." Elisa said. Kairi chuckled.

"Thank you. But don't treat it as "punishment". Think of it as relief from being stranded in this castle forever." Kairi said. Elisa smiled and began fading away. Her powers passed onto Kairi and she gained a small heart charm next to her tear shaped pendant, a sign of her alliance with Elisa. She then left the castle with the others. Outside, the sky was now sunny with a few clouds.

"It looks like the black clouds are gone." Mickey said. Riku thought it must've been tied to the feelings Elisa had been harbouring that made the dark sky earlier. Kairi looked down and saw a flower beginning to grow again. She then looked at the castle.

"Elisa...I'm going to promise. If I can, I'll find a way to bring your world back. I promise with every last ounce I have." Kairi thought. Sora looked back at Kairi.

"I know that face. She's going to help Elisa bring her world back to normal. As for me, after hearing all that and remembering what Leon and the others told me...I'm gonna make my own promise. Let's see if the worlds wouldn't mind sharing ties of light instead of darkness." Sora thought. Just then, they heard what sounded like a space ship approaching.

"What is that?" Ansem asked.

"I dunno. But it sounds familiar." Lloyd said. They all looked up and laughed, seeing a Gummi Ship about to land. The doors opened and inside was Cid with Genis, Raine, Leon and Yuffie.

"Hey! There ya guys are! Welcome back!" Yuffie cheered.

"Whuh? But...how'd you guys find us?" Sora asked. Cid smirked.

"You think it's hard to miss someone returning home with the computer I'VE got? No way. Once you guys showed up here, we figured it's about time someone came to pick you up. Sorry it took a while. You guys were WAY far out there this time." Cid chuckled. Leon also added that another world had appeared also, something called "Land of Departure" to Cid's scanners. Ansem smiled.

"We checked there first and we met someone. Maybe you guys know him?" Genis asked. Sitting by Raine's side inside the Gummi Ship was Zexion. Sora chuckled and everyone hurried aboard.

"Wow. Traveling across worlds SURE changed since back then, huh?" Ven asked. Aqua gave a nod. Sora suddenly stopped and saw Aqua and Ven just standing there.

"What's wrong? Aren't you guys coming?" Sora asked. Ven and Aqua glanced at each other and chuckled.

"Nah. We've got our own ride." Ven said. Ven touched his armor on his suits and went into full armor mode. And by throwing his blade high above, it transformed into his flying board and followed the Gummi Ship all the way back to Radiant Gardens, with Aqua as Ven's extra passenger.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	11. Ch 69: Time of Healing

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 69: Time of Healing_**

After traversing across worlds for a long period, Sora and his friends have finally returned to Radiant Gardens. While Sora was glad to be back, Aqua and Ven were surprised to see the city has slightly changed. Ansem sighed.

"This place....I wonder how it's been." Ansem thought. Ven and Aqua looked around them.

"I know. It must not look the same for you guys. You were here over twelve years ago last time." Riku said. Ven nodded.

"Yeah. But still, it's kinda...." Ven said before bumping into someone. He groaned and rubbed his head, finding his collision was with Roxas.

"Hey! Watch where you're...!" they both exclaimed before seeing each other's faces.

"Holy cow! You're me!" Roxas exclaimed.

"And you're ME?!" Ven asked. Axel was with Roxas when he saw the two faces.

"Okay. THIS is gonna have to get some getting used to." Axel said. Roxas agreed, especially if Xion or the others saw them. Sora glanced over at Riku.

"I just hope that Doofenshmirtz hasn't been acting up or anything in our absence." Sora said. Riku took a look around.

"Well, it looks like he's been behaving himself." Riku said. They arrived at the team base and greeted their teammates again.

"Welcome back you guys!" Kronk called.

"We missed you so much! Are you all right? How'd it go?" Lilo asked. Sora snickered and pointed back to Aqua, Ven and Ansem, asking Lilo to see how it went for herself. Lilo and Stitch gasped.

"Wow! So.....you guys are Keybladers too?" Lilo asked. Aqua giggled.

"That's right. My name is Aqua and his name is Ventus." Aqua said. Ven groaned and said he could introduce himself. He was suddenly glared at by Seifer, who walked over and got a better look.

"And I thought Roxas' face annoyed me, I get the same feeling just by looking at you." Seifer said. Ven huffed.

"What's that? A challenge? I could take you with one hand tied behind my back cap head." Ven said. Seifer growled as Richter watched with a smirk.

"Good to see you Sora. I guess your little adventure was a success." Richter said "See any signs of that creep Vanitas?" Sora shook his head.

"However, I've got some news guys. It appears the Black Knight has already begun regaining his powers and is out and about again." Sora said. The others gasped.

"He's BACK?!" Marta exclaimed.

"Yeah. He attacked us when we went to rescue Aqua. From the looks of it, we've got trouble again." Kairi said. Regal sighed.

"So not only do we have the Heartless, Nobody, Vanitas AND the Legion on our plate already.....we get to add HIM back to our list of concerns." Zelos said. Lloyd nodded.

"But now, we must band together and keep our heads high. Right?" Sora asked. Everyone gave a firm nod.

"You can count on us Sora! That knight will regret ever messing with us!" Jack shouted.

"Yeah! Just wait until he meets me!" Hercules added. Sora chuckled and thanked everyone. For right now though, all Sora wanted to do was rest and take it easy. As he retired to his room, Ven noticed Aqua walking outside and leaning against the wall.

"Aqua? Something up?" Ven asked, walking outside. Aqua sighed.

"Ven....I'm so happy you're here with me again....and that we're back in the Realm of Light. But....." Aqua said. Ven took one look at her face and knew only one reason for it: Terra. Aqua nodded when Ven asked if Terra was involved.

"I heard about what happened. Poor Terra." Ven said.

"Do you think we'll be the same again? I mean....Terra lost his heart to Master Xehanort." Aqua asked. Ven sighed and crossed his arms.

"I dunno. I really hope things CAN be the same again. Terra's out there, still suffering. And it's up to us to free him." Ven said. He then turned to Aqua and rested his hand on her shoulder. Aqua turned to Ven.

"And....I want to say this now. Even....Even if we can't help Terra, I want to say that....I'll never leave you alone again." Ven said "Until they prove we can't help, I promise to get Terra back." Aqua began building a few tears.

"You don't have to do everything by yourself again. Remember that you have a friend, a friend who really cares about you." Ven said. Aqua glanced down at Ven.

"Are...Are you trying to make me like you more or something?" Aqua asked, chuckling slightly. Ven blushed a little.

"Maybe....Maybe I am. But, I'm serious. From here on out, you'll ALWAYS have me." Ven said. Aqua sighed.

"Ven....I...." Aqua said. But she was cut off when Ven leaned close and lightly kissed her lips. Aqua started to blush and turn away. Ven did likewise.

"S....Sorry." Ven said. Aqua looked back and slightly smiled. Back in the base, the day continued on as normal. However, just mentioning the ties Kairi had to Kingdom Hearts had Raine in full-on Ruin Mode.

"Please Raine! You're asking me too many questions!" Kairi exclaimed. Raine squealed with excitement.

"But you MUST tell me! What is Kingdom Hearts?! Is it truly the heart of all worlds?! What is it like?! Do you remember seeing anything?!" Raine asked. Sora was passing by when he and Genis both saw Raine.

"Oh no. Not again." Genis groaned. Sora sighed.

"I had a feeling this would happen. Just mention that to Raine and she'd have a field day with Kairi." Sora said. Genis sighed.

"She hasn't left Kairi alone since you told her. What's it been? An hour by now?" Genis asked. Sora shrugged. Kairi suddenly couldn't take anymore and left.

"Wha?! Kairi! Wait! Come back...!" Raine exclaimed, tripping as she got up. She reached out towards Kairi.

"Get back here right now! I'm not done yet!" Raine shouted. Meanwhile, Ansem returned to his studies with Zexion at his side. However, Zexion had abandoned his Organization XIII cloak for clothes that represented his younger self, a white lab coat over a dark blue shirt and tan pants.

"My old study. You haven't changed at all." Ansem said. Zexion glanced over at Leon and nodded.

"They told me they had to destroy your data on the Heartless due to a spy sneaking in here disguised as you." Zexion said. Ansem nodded.

"I suppose it is for the best. I NEVER want anyone to read those files again. What I did is something no one should ever do." Ansem said. Zexion approached Ansem.

"Forget about the past. Right now, we have our futures to look forward to. I'm your apprentice, right?" Zexion asked. Ansem looked over at Zexion and nodded, giving a grin. Outside in the city streets, Axel had heard about Marluxia and Larxene from Riku, bursting into a loud laugh shortly after.

"Oh man! Those IDIOTS! Ha ha ha! I can't believe they really gave themselves up like that!" Axel laughed. Xion thought it was a bit sad.

"No it isn't! Those two were some of the most obnoxious twits in the whole Organization. Ho boy, I still rememeber when I "helped" them with their little take over scheme." Axel said. Roxas also heard from Sora that Ven being kept there was why Xemnas wanted Axel to search the castle.

"Hmm. That's funny. What did Xemnas ever want with a kid who looks like you Roxas?" Axel asked.

"Right now, I don't think it matters. But I am happy to hear that those evil people are gone for good." Naminé said. And Axel also added that with Demyx and Zexion on the good side now, there are not that many Organization XIII members that have gone Lifeless left.

"Hopefully, we can stop all this BEFORE all of them become Lifeless." Riku said. Axel agreed to that. At dinner that evening, Sora and the others were having a slight change. Instead of Kronk cooking, Doofenshmirtz invited everyone to pizza. Leon and the other committee members were invited to join in as well along with Ansem and Zexion.

"Wow. That's a first. How are you gonna afford this much pizza doc?" Sora asked. Doofenshmirtz chuckled.

"Well, when you're an evil scientist with access to your ex-wife's money, you can do QUITE a lot." Doof chuckled. He was only able to talk to them for a while, locked in a one sided arguement against the pizza guy. Emil sighed.

"Wow. He sure makes me feel smart." Pete said. Sora figured that now would be a good time to bring something up. He stood up and called everyone's attention, excluding Doof who was still arguing.

"We've all gone far on our quest, we've become close friends with one another and we're doing a lot of good. But one thing has got me thinking. The only reason the worlds have been connected until now is by ties of darkness from the Heartless, right?" Sora asked. Leon nodded.

"Well, after all we've been through, I'm tired of this." Sora said. Some of the others gasped, not quite understanding what Sora meant.

"What I mean is....before this adventure of ours comes to an end, I want to make NEW ties between the worlds. The worlds should not be connected by darkness, but by ties of light. We're living proof that worlds can know of the other's existences and bond." Sora said. Everyone looked at each other and each smiled.

"So, if you're with me, let's use our strong light to bring the worlds together as one big family! Are you with me?!" Sora asked. With that, he listened for someone to reply. He first heard Kairi clap, follow by Riku, Donald and Goofy before everyone else joined in too.

"Way to go Sora." Lloyd said. Even Aqua and Ven were joining in the applause, as was Ansem, Zexion, Axel, Naminé, Roxas and Xion. Doofenshmirtz gave a short clap, finally settling the problem and finished ordering the pizza.

"Sora, I have a feeling you'll be the greatest Keyblader of us all." Aqua thought. Sora's friends started to talk amongst each other and mellow as the moon began to rise over Radiant Gardens.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	12. Ch 70: Sora's Restful Day

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 70: Sora's Restful Day_**

It was a calm and peaceful morning in Radiant Gardens. Kairi was out for a leisurely walk with Marta and Aqua, giving Aqua a tour of the newly reformed Radiant Gardens. She looked around at everyone's bright personalities.

"Though the town changed, it's people have not." Aqua said. Kairi chuckled.

"Yeah. Everyone is happy now that this world is beginning to come back together." Kairi said. Marta gave a nod and a smile. They watched as kids played and people went about their normal lives. Kairi then thought about Sora and how hard he's been putting into everything they've done so far.

"Hey guys? You know what Sora needs? He needs a day for himself." Kairi said. Aqua and Marta came to a halt and asked Kairi how so.

"Well, he's got the Heartless, Nobodies, this..."Vanitas" guy and a lot of other problems on his plate already. And he's done so much for everyone that....he deserves a day off. Don't you think?" Kairi asked. Marta looked away, thinking and tapping her chin.

"Yeah. You DO have a point." Marta said.

"But....what about the Heartless? Do you expect them to just give Sora a day off? They're not the kind to do that." Aqua said. Kairi winked.

"Oh. Who said we're gonna let Sora SEE any Heartless?" Kairi asked. Now Marta and Aqua were just plain confused.

"While we're giving Sora his day to take it easy, some of the rest of us are gonna make sure the Heartless are at bay." Kairi said. Aqua got the idea, asking who was going to be with him so he wouldn't see any Heartless. Kairi giggled and said she wouldn't mind volunteering.

"You just wanna be close to your BOYFRIEND, right?" Marta asked in a teasing voice. Kairi stuttered.

"Well....I....I.....ahhh......nevermind." Kairi stuttered. Marta giggled and gently nudged Kairi. The girls hurried back to the base and passed on their plan to everyone else, all agreeing to help as Sora was still sleeping in his room. Axel came by and chuckled.

"Well, well, look who is STILL sleeping. I think I can fix that." Axel said. He creeped over to Sora and glared down at him. He then took a deep breath and shouted in his ear, causing Sora to yelp from shock and fall out of bed.

"Gah. Axel!" Sora yelled. Axel snickered and walked off, reminding Sora that the "big shot HERO" needs to remember to get up once in a while. Sora groaned, reminding Axel that he naps a lot during the day. Sora then walked into the kitchen, giving a great big yawn. He looked to his side and saw a grinning Kairi.

"Uhhh....good morning Kairi." Sora said, slightly creeped out. Kairi giggled.

"Good morning Sora. We've got a few things to do today. So, make sure to eat breakfast." Kairi said. Sora shook his head, thinking he was still dreaming.

"Wait. What?" Sora asked. Kairi just walked off with another chuckle. Sora scratched his head.

"That's weird. What's Kairi up to?" Sora thought. Outside, Kairi had asked Riku if he could watch out for Heartless while Sora was trying to take today off. He agreed and brought Richter and Yuffie with him for back up.

"So, Sora finally gets a day to just chill. Hmm. Sounds like my kind of day. But still, he deserves it. He really puts in one hundred twenty percent." Yuffie said. Riku told his team they should head out and they both gave a nod, following Riku into town. And, after breakfast was over, Sora was quickly dressed and pulled outside by Kairi.

"Whoa! K...Kairi! Ease up! That's my wrist you're yanking out of it's socket!" Sora exclaimed, still struggling to get his jacket on. When they finally got outside, Kairi apologized as Sora adjusted his clothes.

"Sheesh. What's up with you today? You never were so pushy to get out back home. Then again....there was that ONE time when...." Sora said, slowly looking back in thought as Kairi hugged his other arm. He looked down and looked a bit distured.

"And you weren't so clingly." Sora added. Kairi chuckled.

"Well, I wanted to spend some time together. We just got back from that really long trip two days ago and I thought we could take this day to just hang out like we used to." Kairi said. Sora was quick to ask about the Heartless, but Kairi assured him that after what they did to Larxene and Marluxia, the knight WOULDN'T be trying anything today.

"Uhhh.....all right. If you're sure...." Sora muttered. He then followed Kairi into town, unaware of what was really happening. He and Kairi first went by the park and took a quiet walk down the paths. Sora looked up and saw birds flying overhead.

"Today sure is a peaceful day. You picked a good day to come out Kairi." Sora said. Kairi chuckled.

"I can pick them, can't I?" she asked. Sora chuckled, finding a bench to have a seat. Sora then bought some popcorn and they both fed the birds. But as they did, a Neoshadow Heartless was rising up from behind. However, almost without a sound, it was slashed down by Riku.

"Well, there's one." Riku thought. Sora had not noticed the Heartless and was still enjoying feeding the birds. One eventually landed in his lap and pecked its beak inside of the bag.

"What? Whoa. Whoa. Do I look like a perch to you?" Sora asked. The bird quickly flew off and Kairi giggled.

"Just glad it wasn't sitting on my head. I didn't want to be a bird bathroom either." Sora said. Kairi chuckled again and sighed.

"Hey Sora, was there anyplace you wanted to look at? This is YOUR day off." Kairi asked. Sora thought for a moment and said he'd thought of visiting Scrooge.

"Sure. Let's go. I bet he has some kind of new ice cream there too." Kairi said. The two got up and walked down to the Marketplace. But watching up above was Vanitas.

"Enjoying your day Sora? Too bad that this will be a day where your "enjoyment" will be cut short." Vanitas said. He then looked over at Riku's group.

"If Kairi is using THEM to hide the Heartless from Sora, I guess I'll just have to call a few more to make things interesting." Vanitas chuckled. With a cast of his hand, the park was slowly starting to grow a Heartless population. But as Vanitas looked on, he suddenly heard something coming his way. He looked down and was greeted by a flying Keyblade to the face.

"Deagh!" Vanitas yelled. His helmet was knocked off, revealing his face and he groaned. Looking down, Vanitas saw his attacker was Ventus.

"Ventus.....how good to see you again. Came back to try and WORK something out this time?" Vanitas asked. Ven groaned and clutched his blade.

"No! I'm here to finally get rid of you! You may be the darkness in my heart, but you're not welcome!" Ven exclaimed. He lunged for Vanitas and went into a Speed Rave as they began to clash. In the Marketplace, Sora and Kairi made it safely without any Heartless appearing at all.

"Wow. It's been really quiet today." Sora said. Kairi sighed, taking a quick look around. They found Scrooge and saw he was talking with Ludwig. Both ducks noticed Sora and waved.

"Hello there Sora, Kairi. How've you kids been?" Scrooge asked.

"We're fine Scrooge. How have things been here?" Sora asked. Scrooge laughed and said business couldn't be better. He was now even selling baked goods from the town's bakery. Sora then asked Ludwig why he was here.

"What else? To try some of these scrumptious goodies. Y'know, working all day in a itty bitty building with Cid makes a fella hungry." Ludwig said, taking a bite of a doughnut. Sora and Kairi both bought a few treats and went to sit and look out at the outer edge of the city. Sora's day was going quite well without him knowing the least of Ven's fight with Vanitas. Back in the park, Vanitas skidded across the ground from Ven's last attack. Both seemed exhausted to the point of panting for breath after a period of fighting.

"You've.....grown Ventus...." Vanitas said. Ven huffed.

"Of course. I'm.....I'm a Keyblader and.....I've......learned a few things.....when Sora....had my heart." Ven panted. Vanitas groaned and stood up.

"I wanted Sora.....but....consider this a lucky break. I'll see you two again." Vanitas said. He then warped away, leaving the exhausted Ven to catch his breath. As he did, the Heartless were being slayed one after another by Riku and the others.

"There. That's the last one." Richter said. Yuffie sighed and wiped her forehead.

"I hope Sora's day has been going all right." Yuffie said. Riku looked down from the rooftop they were on and saw Sora passing by with his arm around Kairi.

"Don't worry Yuffie. I think Sora is having a pretty good day so far." Riku said. Both were smiling and enjoying themselves. Raine and Genis were passing by as well when they saw them.

"Wow. I never think I saw Sora this happy before." Genis said. Raine smiled.

"He and Kairi....what a pair those two make." Raine said. Sora and Kairi's day was a picture perfect day. After visiting Scrooge, Sora and Kairi went for a friendly visit with Leon and the others at the committee base, played tag with Rikku, enjoyed lunch together and then headed back home.

"This day has been great. Not one Heartless has shown up once." Sora said. Kairi smiled and nodded, happy that her plan had succeeded. But suddenly, Sora and Kairi were surrounded by Hookbat and Shadow Heartless. Kairi groaned.

"Oh no! Not now!" Kairi groaned. But Sora only grinned and drew his blade.

"About time you showed up. Let's go!" Sora chuckled. He activated Ying's artifact and gained his weapon. With the second Keyblade in his grasp, Sora was able to take on the Heartless and almost effortlessly slay them all alone. Kairi was totally surprised at Sora, making quick work of them in less than a minute.

"Well, that was fun. I almost felt like today was getting a bit dull." Sora said. Kairi sighed. She apologized to Sora, saying she didn't want the Heartless to interfere today. It was supposed to be a day for Sora to not have any fighting. Sora chuckled.

"Thanks Kairi. But even I enjoy a good Heartless stomping now and then. But still, you're a great friend." Sora said. Kairi smiled and blushed slightly.

"Thanks." she said. Sora chuckled and asked if she still wanted to finish off their day before heading home. Kairi giggled and nodded.

"Sure." she said. After enjoying what their day had left for them, Sora and Kairi returned to the base and rejoined everyone else in the base.

"Hey there Sora. How was your day?" Genis asked. Sora looked over at Kairi and chuckled.

"It was a great day. One of the best." Sora said. Kairi blushed and giggled softly, looking away.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	13. Ch 71: The Circus Came to Town

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 71: The Circus Came to Town_**

In Radiant Gardens, the day was starting out just about as good as any other day would be. But when Sora awoke, he found out that this was going to be one of those days. He later found that, without really voting much on it, Raine had already started giving school lessons to the younger people in Sora's group. Her class consisted of Genis, Lilo, Stitch, Seifer, Emil and Marta.

"Raine! Weren't we going to talk about this first?" Sora asked.

"Well, I had a feeling you were going to put it off for the rest of your adventure. That's why I took it upon myself to at LEAST give some lessons." Raine said. Lilo groaned, not looking so forward to learning.

"Care to join us Sora?" Raine asked. Sora nervously chuckled and waved his hand.

"Uhhh.....no thanks Raine. I was going to go see Cid about....eh.....something." Sora said. He then darted outside and closed the door. Lilo gasped.

"Wait! Take me with you!" she exclaimed. Marta sighed and rocked in her chair. Outside, Sora met up with Donald and Goofy and learned that Cid wanted to see them after all.

"Oh really? Phew. I just used that to sneak away before Raine got me sucked into her "class" time." Sora said. Donald and Goofy chuckled, following Sora over to the committee center. They met with Cid and he gave them their mission briefing this time. Sora looked at the world on Cid's monitor and it appeared as a large circular planet with circus animals and a large tent.

"Have we been there before?" Goofy asked.

"Nope. Doesn't look familiar to me." Donald said. Sora shrugged, but just noticed that only he, Donald and Goofy were together. He took a good look and snickered.

"Hey. What's so funny?" Donald asked.

"Don't you see it Donald? This is our first mission together alone. No one else." Sora said. Donald and Goofy looked around and saw that Sora was right. Goofy chuckled.

"Yeah! The hero trio on a solo mission again!" Goofy cheered. Donald gave a cheer too, making Cid laugh.

"Well, you heroes go have fun on your adventure then. Hurry! Before I add reinforcements with you!" Cid teased. Sora smirked and the trio rushed on board the Gummi Ship. It soon was skyward and took off. Cid watched the ship depart as elsewhere, Riku, Kairi and Aqua were heading towards Ansem's castle.

"You think it's possible Aqua?" Kairi asked. Aqua nodded.

"Yes. I'm sure of it. Somewhere, I can sense my Keyblade's prescence." Aqua said. But Riku thought Aqua already had her Keyblade. Aqua shook her head, correcting Riku by saying she was using the one Kairi wielded when Aqua was her Keyblader spirit.

"And it's in Ansem's castle?" Kairi asked. Aqua nodded. As they approached the castle, the first to see them was Aerith and Zexion, both looking out at the clear sky. Aqua asked Zexion if Ansem was in and Zexion nodded, saying he was right in his chamber.

"Perfect. Thanks." Aqua said. And as Aqua's group continued onward, the Gummi Ship with Sora, Donald and Goofy was sailing through space towards their next world. Donald sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"This is relaxing. No Heartless ships." Donald sighed.

"It's funny how empty our ship looks when ya don't have anyone else but us in it." Goofy said, laughing shortly after. Sora chuckled.

"Yeah. I know. But, just think. The original Heartless stomping trio on a mission together this time....with NO ONE ELSE with us." Sora said. But remembering their last "solo adventure" in Neon City, they gave the Gummi Ship a quick search. Luckily, no one snuck aboard this time.

"Phew. This time it IS just us." Sora sighed. The three sighed again before seeing they were approaching the world now. They could see the bright red circus tent sticking up overhead.

"Here we are guys. Prepare for landing." Sora said. Donald gave a nod and helped Sora prep the landing gear. The ship slowly came down outside of a large circus. It remained hidden as Sora, Donald and Goofy stepped out. Sora took a deep breath and sighed.

"Ah. That "Just Visiting A New World" smell." Sora said. Donald and Goofy took a sniff also, smelling nothing and shrugged.

"Sora? What are you talking about?" Goofy asked. Sora chuckled, saying it just felt good to be in a new world with his two best friends. Donald and Goofy glanced at one another and chuckled.

"All right. Come on. Let's just check this place out." Donald said, feeling slightly embarrassed. Just as Sora was going to laugh, they heard a small trumpeting sound. It sounded like a baby elephant.

"Did you guys just hear that?" Goofy asked. Sora listened again and heard the same sound before feeling something grabbing his pant leg and giving a tug. He looked down at his leg and saw a baby elephant with large ears and a small hat on his head. It was Dumbo, one of Sora's original summons.

"Hey! It's Dumbo!" Sora laughed. Dumbo trumpeted quietly, happy to see Sora recognized him.

"How've ya been Dumbo?" Goofy asked as Sora hugged him, giving a laugh. Suddenly, Sora saw a mouse pop out of Dumbo's hat. Sora yelped and tumbled back a bit.

"Oh! So THESE are those friends ya told me about, huh Dumbo?" the mouse said. Dumbo nodded and helped his mouse friend out of his hat and let him stand on his trunk.

"Uhhh....sorry for the scare. The name is Timothy Mouse and I'm Dumbo's very best pal." Timothy said. Sora and the others chuckled, greeting Timothy too. But just then, a big looming shadow appeared over them.

"Hey! Who are you snot nosed brats?" the big man asked. Sora looked up and saw a round bodied man wearing a blue jacket and top hat with clown face paint and orange hair.

"And who are you?" Sora asked. The man tipped his hat and chuckled, somehow making Dumbo scared and Timothy angry.

"My name is Flotsam! I'm the ringleader of this here circus! That makes me the boss....IF you couldn't figure that part out." he said. Flotsam chuckled and twirled his cane in his other hand. Sora and the others were a bit disturbed by Flotsam's strange actions but believed he was the ringmaster.

"Sorry to say this kiddies. But if you wanna see the animals, ya gotta get a ticket. UNDERSTAND?!" Flotsam asked, sounding angry in a flash. Sora looked at the others and nodded.

"Uhhh....yeah. Okay." Sora said. Flotsam huffed and walked away. Timothy groaned.

"D'oh. That guy's nothing but a big blowhard. He's not the real ringmaster of this circus. That big mouthed baboon has been treating Dumbo like second hand garbage ever since he came here." Timothy said. Sora and the others gasped.

"Wait. How?" Sora asked. Timothy wasn't sure, but even the other elephants that used to love Dumbo now hated and teased him again. Goofy gave a confused glare.

"Again?" Goofy asked.

"Neah.....it's a long story. Come on. We'll show ya." Timothy said. But Donald asked about Flotsam, supposing he came back. Timothy laughed.

"That clown? He only shows up here once a day. So, it's safe. Come on." Timothy said. Dumbo and Timothy led Sora towards the elephant tent as Flotsam stepped into his personal quarters. There waiting was Kefka, appearing rather bored. Kefka asked how things looked out there with Dumbo and Flotsam sighed.

"It's going fine. Don't see what the BIG DEAL about this tiny little elephant is." Flotsam asked. Kefka chuckled.

"It's simple really. My boss is trying to find herself a heart strong enough to help open the way to a great world, one called Kingdom Hearts....and I have a hunch say that little big earred stupid elephant is the perfect fit." Kefka said. He snapped his fingers and a black shadow of Dumbo appeared.

"So THAT'S what you need THIS thing for?" Flotsam asked. Kefka chuckled.

"Yep. While the bad Dumbo I cooked up with a little dark magic causes all sorts of trouble for Dumbo's friends, the real little twit starts to feel rejected. And when he's ripe enough, I strike!" Kefka chuckled. Flotsam shrugged.

"Ehh...whatever floats your boat. But this is just as long as I get to keep my dough, right?" Flotsam asked. Kefka laughed and nodded, joined later by Flotsam laughing. Elsewhere in the circus, Sora was being led around by Dumbo and Timothy. Each time they passed another animal, Dumbo was automatically given the cold shoulder and as they passed the other adult elephants, they began laughing and pointed at his ears.

"Wow. I see what you mean." Sora said. The elephants continued laughing until Donald was starting to bubble over. Donald stomped over towards Matriarch and huffed. He grabbed his staff and struck its rear end with all his might. The elephant trumpeted from fright and yelped.

"Stop laughing at him!" Donald squawked. Goofy and Sora looked worried and dragged Donald away.

"Now now Donald. Let's just leave them be. Don't want them to SIT on you, right?" Sora asked. Donald huffed and was dragged along behind Sora and Goofy. Outside, Sora could understand Dumbo's predicament. But he had no idea why they behaved this way.

"Us too. They started acting funny ever since that creep showed up. You guys have gotta find our old ringmaster. He might be able to straighten this mess up." Timothy said. Sora agreed to help, hating to see Dumbo so casted like an outcast.

"Thanks a lot." Timothy said.

"No problem. It's what we do." Sora said. Meanwhile, at Radiant Gardens, Ansem gave Kairi's small group access to examine the old Heartless manufacturing machine. As Aqua passed the computer, she could feel her Keyblade's prescence growing stronger.

"Really? Where?" Kairi asked. She turned towards the machine below her and pointed down at the platform below.

"Down there? But that's the Heartless Manufaction machine." Riku said. But Ansem walked in and said there might be more. Riku asked how and Ansem showed him a disk.

"While you were out searching for Aqua and I, Leon said he discovered this disk in my drawers. I didn't know what the disk was until I did a bit of data cracking and found this." Ansem said. He approached his computer and stuck the disc into the slot. A password screen appeared and he typed "ANOTHER" in along with six different names. With those words, there was a strange glowing light below.

"What's that?" Kairi asked. Ansem said it might be the key to reuniting Aqua and her Keyblade. Aqua decided to check it out and headed down for the machine with Kairi and Riku. She stood over the glowing platform and it opened up a big passage before her.

"I can feel it. It's down here." Aqua said. The group progressed down the passage and into the lowest level. They found themselves in a strage passageway with many doors around them.

"What's with all these doors?" Kairi asked.

"I dunno. But let's just follow Aqua. We probably don't wanna know what's behind these other doors." Riku said. Aqua continued along the hall and came upon another door. She went into the room, the Chamber of Repose, and found her armor and Keyblade resting in front of a white throne. She extended her hand and the Keyblade magically returned to her.

"Welcome back old friend." Aqua said. She gave a few good swings, feeling the Keyblade was with her again. Riku and Kairi saw the Keyblade in her hands.

"Wait. I thought that Keyblade was at the Keyblade temple with the others. How did it wind up here?" Kairi asked. Aqua figured that the ones at the temple were really replicas of the originals, meant to preserve the Keybladers spirits.

"Well, at least you have it back now." Riku said. Aqua nodded.

"Yes. This one is the real deal." Aqua said.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	14. Ch 72: It's Show Time!

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 72: It's Show Time!_**

Back at the circus, Sora, Donald and Goofy had looked everywhere. But they found no sign of the real Ringmaster. As they returned, the sky turned to night and they were exhausted. Donald dropped onto his feathery rear.

"Man. We must've looked everywhere. The least Timothy could've done was tell us what this guy even looked like." Sora groaned. Donald and Goofy panted.

"What are we gonna do Sora? Dumbo might feel heartbroken if we tell him the news." Goofy said. Sora sighed and rubbed his head. But as he griefed, he didn't notice something appearing. Surrounding them was a gang of Heartless. They were Aerial Knockers and Armored Knights.

"Heartless? Here?!" Sora exclaimed. The Heartless lunged for Sora but his small team was able to beat them off and free all the captive hearts. After the fight, Sora looked around for any signs of more.

"Why are Heartless here now? It makes no sense." Donald said.

"Maybe that Flotsam fella we met has something to do with it." Goofy said. Sora nodded and they hurried for the elephant tent. They found Dumbo and Timothy sitting outside.

"Any luck?" Timothy asked. Sora shook his head, making Dumbo frown.

"Just great. First the Ringmaster goes missing and now Dumbo's mom does too." Timothy said. Donald squawked.

"What? Dumbo's mother is gone?!" Donald squawked.

"Yeah! She just upped and vanished before you guys came here. We've been looking for her all day." Timothy said. Sora groaned, wishing he knew what was going on. Donald suddenly noticed the lights inside of the main tent appeared to be on.

"Hey. Is there a performance going on?" Goofy asked. Timothy glanced over at the tent and nodded.

"Yeah. However, Dumbo ain't part of the show. Orders from our ringmaster and all." Timothy said. Sora took one look at the large tent and figured something had to be up. They hurried inside and started to watch as the circus was already underway.

"Hey guys. Look." Sora said. Out in the center of the tent was Flotsam. The other elephants were inside as well, performing the pyramid of pachyderms again.

"Wait a minute. I remember this." Timothy said. They saw a cheeky grin on Flotsam's face as he glanced over towards a darkened area of the tent. Sora and friends glanced ahead and saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes piercing the dark. Donald squawked.

"A Heartless! I knew it!" Donald squawked. Sora looked over at Flotsam and he seemed to have a scheming look on his face.

"All is going as planned. Once these elephants build themselves up, my little friend is gonna knock them all down again....and BLAME it on that big eared imbecile of an elephant!" Flotsam muttered, keeping silent enough to not be heard. But his words were heard by Sora.

"Why that little....! It's true! He's the reason Dumbo has had a lousy life lately. Come on guys! We gotta stop this!" Sora shouted. Donald and Goofy agreed as they followed Sora into the arena. Flotsam caught sight of them and gasped.

"What in the...?!" Flotsam yelled. Sora, Donald and Goofy drew their weapons and stared directly at Flotsam. The other elephants watched, a bit confused by their sudden appearance.

"That....That's that kid from before. What is he doing here?" Matriarch groaned, still holding the others up. Sora pointed directly at Flotsam.

"Flotsam! We heard everything! You've been the one making Dumbo miserable! You've been using a Heartless and framing him for everything it's done!" Sora shouted. But rather than try and fake it, Flotsam merely laughed.

"Well, you catch on quick KID! But I wouldn't be surprised that a Keyblade wielder would be so smart! Now....I get to add someone new to this act. With your help, we'll bring down the house for sure!" Flotsam shouted. He laughed and twirled around, extending his cane.

"Whatever you're planning, we're gonna stop you!" Sora shouted. Donald and Goofy both nodded firmly. Flotsam laughed again and struck the ground with his cane. The Heartless Dumbo appeared, but then began to grow and change. It mutated into two Heartless, a large rubber ball and a strange creature that appeared to be a mix of an elephant and ringmaster.

"As they say in show business......it's SHOW TIME!" Flotsam exclaimed, hopping onto the ball Heartless. He chuckled and came charging towards the elephant pyramid.

"Wait! What is he doing?!" an elephant exclaimed. Flotsam laughed and began attacking the ball, rattling the elephants above.

"He's trying to knock them over! Sora!" Goofy called. Sora nodded and the two initiated Knocksmash, popping the Heartless beneath Flotsam and sending him flying around before soaring back towards Sora.

"Gotcha!" Sora exclaimed, striking Flotsam in the face. He groaned and tumbled across the floor.

"Ha! Take this!" Flotsam shouted. He floated high into the air and waving his hand, he sent giant rubber red balls falling down from above, smushing Sora's group underneath as they bounced on them.

"Oh yeah?!" Donald squawked. He struck one with his fist and it ricocheted right at Flotsam, slamming him down to the ground.

"D'oh! You're making me mad! Heartless! Sick 'em!" Flotsam shouted. The Heartless charged towards Sora and started lashing around a whip. It struck Donald in the rear before charging into Sora.

"I don't think so!" Sora shouted. He activated Ying's charm and gained his Keyblade. With one strike, he deflected the Heartless away and charged towards Flotsam.

"What the heck was that?!" Flotsam gasped. He was caught in a ferocious swing of blades as Sora struck him silly with a combo and sent him skyward. He then combo attacked in the air and drove him down again. But suddenly, the ball Heartless returned and rammed into the pyramid again.

"What the?!" Sora exclaimed. Flotsam looked back and smirked.

"All right! Now the show can go on! But as for you three, it's lights out for you!" Flotsam shouted. He laughed and jumped back on the Heartless ball, charging once again towards them. But as he did, they saw Dumbo coming his way.

"Huh? What are you.....wah!!!" Flotsam shouted as Dumbo rammed head first into his gut. Flotsam fell off the Heartless, leaving it to once again pop from Sora. And when the Heartless tried to attack again, Sora was able to finish it before it could attack. Flotsam groaned.

"Why you.....rotten, big eared fool! I ought ta....!" Flotsam growled, grabbing Dumbo's ear. But suddenly, there was a loud trumpet sound. Flotsam looked and saw Miss Jumbo charging in.

"What?! What is she...?!" Flotsam exclaimed. He saw the real Ringmaster on her back as Miss Jumbo hooked Flotsam's foot with her trunk and threw him out through the roof. Kefka watched and sighed.

"I guess that show was a big flop. Too bad I wasn't there to see it. Oh well. Maybe trumpet nose isn't who we need anyway." Kefka said, vanishing in a flash. After the fight, the elephants were able to safely end their act and Dumbo was once again with his mom.

"Hey. How'd you guys get here anyway?" Sora asked.

"That crazy clown came here one day and said he was taking over, locking the two of us away. But she was able to break down the door to our cage and she came rushing over to Dumbo. I'm glad no one got hurt." the ringmaster explained. Sora looked on at Dumbo and smiled.

"Yeah. Same here." Sora said. Donald figured that would be the last they would see of Flotsam for a while. But as they left, Sora saw the cap on Dumbo's head glowing and it revealed the Keyhole to him. He was able to quickly seal it without anyone catching sight of him.

"The keyhole?" Goofy asked. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. Come on. We'd better get going now." Sora said. They each took one last look at Dumbo with his mom and left with smiles on their faces.

"Ya think Dumbo will be all right?" Goofy asked.

"Of course. We got rid of Flotsam, right?" Donald asked. Sora agreed, believing Dumbo was happy right now. They climbed back into the Gummi Ship and took off into the starry sky. Dumbo and Timothy watched by Miss Jumbo's side as the ship took off.

"You know something Dumbo? Your friends sure are something." Timothy said. Dumbo gave a small trumpet, most likely agreeing. The Gummi Ship returned all the way to Radiant Gardens safely and the landing was perfect. But as Sora, Donald and Goofy exited the committee base and headed into town, they were in for a rude surprise. In the center of town, two people were looking around for them.

"Hey, who are these guys?" Sora asked.

"Don't know." Donald replied. The two figures was a young man with light brown hair and wore a black jacket. The other was a girl with pink hair and wore a white jacket. The second they saw Sora, they stayed dead locked on him as they approached.

"Excuse me. We're looking for someone named Sora. You've seen him?" the man asked. Donald and Goofy glanced at Sora.

"Uhhhh.....yeah. He's me." Sora said. Suddenly, he was grasped by his wrist and had his hands forced behind his back.

"Hey! What the?!" Sora exclaimed. The girl approached and glared down at him.

"We're Rallen and Jeena, members of the Planetary Patrol force. By order of our superior, you three are under arrest for illegal travel inbetween worlds!" Jeena exclaimed. Sora, Donald and Goofy gasped.

"We're WHAT?!" Sora exclaimed.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	15. Ch 73: A Complete Misunderstanding

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 73: A Complete Misunderstanding_**

Meanwhile, at their team base, everything was quiet and peaceful. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary until Sora, Donald and Goofy suddenly darted in and slammed the door behind them.

"Sora? What's up?" Genis asked.

"Uhhh....nothing. How bout you?" Sora asked. Pete noticed them and asked how their "fun solo mission" went. Goofy and Donald looked out a nearby window.

"It went well Pete. We fixed all the problems there and...." Sora said before they heard a bang at the door.

"Hey! Open up you guys!" Rallen exclaimed. He continued to pound on the door as Sora embraced it. Xion was passing by when she heard all the banging.

"Sora? I think someone is at the door." Xion said "And why are you bracing it?" Sora looked back and nervously chuckled.

"Don't worry. It's just some autograph hound. He'll go away soon." Sora chuckled. But the pounding on the door only worsened as Rallen's temper was wearing thin.

"You open this door NOW! Or I'm breaking it down!" Rallen exclaimed.

"Rallen, control yourself. Don't go blowing your lid. We'll get in there." Jeena said. Rallen growled, saying that this was getting him angry. Jeena sighed as Rallen continued to pound on the door, going so far as ramming into it.

"Sheesh Sora. Just let the guy in. What's one little autograph gonna do?" Xion asked.

"No. This guy is crazy. Whatever you guys do, DON'T open this door!" Sora groaned. Raine passed by and groaned. She plucked Sora by the ear and effortlessly pulled him away from the door and did likewise with Goofy. When she was about to answer, Rallen's force burst the door open and slammed Raine into the wall. Sora gasped as Rallen growled.

"Finally! You three crooks aren't going anywhere!" Rallen panted. Jeena stepped in and sighed, but not before she caught eye of the others around Sora.

"What are these? Accomplices? If they are, everyone in this building is under arrest." Jeena said. Pete's eyes widened.

"Whoa! Whoa! We're under arrest?! For what?!" Genis exclaimed. Zelos happened to pass by when he was automatically stopped.

"Don't tell me YOU have something to do with this." Genis asked, pointing to Rallen and Jeena. Zelos took one look and shrugged.

"With what? I never saw them before in my life." Zelos said. Jeena watched as Sora was forced to the ground by Rallen. However, Sora's friends were quick to demand an explanation.

"An anonimous source told us that a boy named Sora, last seen constantly popping up around here, has been traveling across the cosmos to other worlds in an unlicensed craft and been causing chaos amongst the worlds." Jeena said. Riku happened to enter when he heard this.

"Ridiculous! Sora has been helping people with the Heartless! Your "tipper" has to be a fake." Riku said. Jeena crossed her arms.

"Oh really? Well, our source also mentioned he had an army sized number of accomplices. And I take it that is all of you." Jeena said. Sora groaned.

"I'm telling you! We're NOT criminals! My name is Sora and....I bear the Keyblade! Does that ring any bells to you?!" Sora shouted. Rallen asked Jeena what he should do with him.

"I think we should have a look at their ship. Bring him with us. The rest of you are to stay here. If we catch any of you outside, we won't hesitate to arrest you too." Jeena said. Rallen huffed and dragged Sora along as they headed for the committee base. Inside, they found Cid and Leon.

"Sora? What's going on?" Leon asked. Sora groaned and told them what was happening.

"Unlicensed ship?! Lady, do you have ANY idea what this is? This is a Gummi Ship from Disney Castle! From the royal family even!" Cid shouted.

"We'll just have ourselves a look. Just to be sure." Jeena said. But just as they were about to head down, Mickey entered through the door.

"I heard about Sora charged for illegal travel? Well, I'm here to clear this whole mess. And I guess you are about to look at the Gummi Ship? Follow me." Mickey said. He led Rallen and Jeena down to the garage and gave them a thorough look over of the whole ship. True to Mickey's word, the Gummi Ship was indeed from Disney Castle and he had given Sora permission to use it.

"Okay. This is strange. Why would that guy lie about him using an "unlicensed" ship?" Rallen asked. Jeena rubbed her head.

"I'm not sure. This is TOO strange." Jeena said. She quickly used her scanner to call back to their ship.

"Aldous? Come in. Things are strange down here. It seems the guy we got the tip from might have been lying to us. Hmm? Yeah. We're in the ship now." Jeena said. Rallen continued looking around, trying to find something.

"Yeah. I know. I have a funny feeling about this." Jeena said. Just then, there was an explosion outside and it rattled the city.

"Whoa! What the?!" Sora exclaimed. He hurried outside with Leon and saw a group of Buckle Bruiser Unversed. Amongst them was Vanitas, standing idly still with his arms crossed.

"I see they found out the truth. Neverless, I was still going to go through with this." Vanitas said. Sora growled and called his Keyblade. Leon and Cid got a good look at Vanitas.

"I guess YOU must be Vanitas. Well, if you came here to finish things, we're fine with that." Leon said. He quickly brought out his Gunblade and stood by Sora's side.

"Yes. I came to see just how much you've grown Sora. Let's have at it, shall we?" Vanitas asked. Sora huffed.

"Gladly!" Sora shouted. He came charging towards Vanitas with Leon close behind. But with a snap, Vanitas sent his Unversed after Leon and Cid.

"What the?!" Leon exclaimed, jumping back to avoid the attack. He groaned.

"What are these? Some kind of Heartless?" Leon asked. Suddenly, a blast was shot clean at an Unversed and knocked it over. The shot came from Rallen.

"Hey! What's going on out here?!" Rallen shouted. Cid snickered.

"If you kids wanna help, we can use it! I think we found your "anonimous tipper"." Cid said. Sora and Vanitas could be heard clashing blades fiercely.

"You've gotten better. I'm pleased." Vanitas said. Sora groaned and forced him away. He activated a charm and became Wulf, charging for him and attacking with his blade. He managed to deflect a hit and gave him enough time to land a combo on Vanitas and knock him back. Vanitas was quick to recover and charged for Sora, striking him hard and knocking the Keyblade from his mouth. The attack caused Wulf's charm to wear off.

"All right. I.....I wanna know. Are you or are you NOT.....with the Dark Knight?" Sora groaned. Vanitas approached him and pointed his Keyblade at him.

"I thought I explained that I wasn't. Still, I have something I've been wanting to do since the day we met." Vanitas said. Sora watched as he rose his blade.

"It's time I finally kill you!" Vanitas exclaimed. Sora groaned and shielded himself as Vanitas attacked. But, someone else had appeared and shielded Sora from the attack. When Sora looked to see who, he didn't expect it to the Dark Knight!

"What?! You?!" Sora shouted. The knight thrusted Vanitas away and slashed down his chest with a powerful strike, making him groan and drop to his knees.

"What......Why....you....." Vanitas groaned.

"Don't you DARE think about it you worthless twit. If anyone is to defeat Sora, it will be me." the knight said. Leon, Rallen and Jeena watched on, feeling lost amongst all the excitement. Even the Unversed stopped to watch.

"Get out of the way you helmet headed kook!" Vanitas shouted. He came charging again, but the knight effortlessly struck him down with one swing. That one attack knocked him out cold and his helmet once again fell off and rolled to Leon's feet.

"What the?" Leon thought. The knight then bent down and picked up Vanitas. He turned to Sora.

"Do not think this makes us allies Sora. When we meet next, you will fall before my new might." the knight said. He suddenly flashed some strange items, charms from other Keyblader souls. Sora gasped.

"Hey! Give me those!" Sora shouted. The knight huffed and carried Vanitas with him through a dark corridor. The Unversed then left in dark portals as well. Rallen and Jeena hurried over to Sora.

"Hey, you all right?" Jeena asked. Rallen helped Sora back on his feet.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine." Sora said. He then asked Rallen and Jeena if he was still going to be arrested. The two looked at each other before turning to Sora again.

"Well, it seems that your ship IS licensed under the seal of the royal family at Disney Castle. And from what I just saw, I think it's clear that you ARE helping people." Rallen said.

"So, we can just drop the charges." Jeena finished. Sora sighed.

"Thank goodness. So, where are you guys from?" Sora asked. Rallen said they would probably explain more once things were cleared up back at Sora's team base. Upon their return, Jeena told about what happened.

"So Vanitas showed up again. And the knight saved Sora?" Riku asked.

"But wait. If they are both after Sora, why didn't the knight let Vanitas finish him?" Kairi asked. Richter huffed, probably guessing that the knight was too focused on killing Sora himself.

"Looks like there is someone from the dark side watching over you Sora." Aqua said. Ven chuckled.

"Yeah. Someone who won't let anyone but him beat you." Ven said. Sora groaned.

"Things are just getting weirder by the day." Hercules said. Mulan nodded.

"So, what about them?" Kairi asked, pointing to Rallen and Jeena. Sora turned around and asked them if they would like to help Sora and his team fight against the Heartless.

"After everything we put you through, I think it's the least we can do." Jeena said. Rallen chuckled.

"Just don't go thinking you're better than me, got it?" Rallen asked. Jeena sighed.

"Really Rallen. Sometimes I think your head's too big." Jeena said. Rallen groaned, noticing the others chuckling. Axel couldn't help but chuckle too.

"Yeah. Reminds me of another Nobody I knew once." Axel said, nudging Roxas. Roxas scoffed.

"Axel!" he exclaimed. Soon, everyone was laughing together as Roxas was arguing with Axel.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	16. Ch 74: Enter the Graveyard of Blades

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 74: Enter the Graveyard of Blades_**

The days in Radiant Garden passed by as not many problems rose up after the Dark Knight saved Sora from Vanitas. But even in this time of peace, one person still felt hurt and sad. It was Aqua, mourning over the loss of Terra. Ventus found Aqua sitting alone in Ansem's library.

"Hmm? Aqua? You okay?" Ven asked. Aqua was reading through many different books. It appeared she was trying to find a way of restoring Terra.

"Oh. Ven. Sorry, I didn't see you." Aqua said. Ven looked over her shoulder and saw the book in front of her.

"Still thinking about Terra, right?" Ven asked. Aqua sighed and closed the book, giving a nod.

"I still feel so ashamed of myself. I let Xehanort escape with Terra's body. If only....If only I could've stopped him sooner...." Aqua said, beginning to cry. Ventus gently rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Aqua. I promised that I would help you find Terra. No matter what it takes, we WILL find him." Ven said. Aqua looked away and nodded, shedding a small tear.

"Thank you....Ven." Aqua said. Meanwhile, in town, Sora was out training with Kairi in a Keyblade sparring match. All of her time with Mulan and Aqua was turning Kairi into a skilled opponent. Even Sora found himself having trouble defending from her attacks.

"Wow Kairi! You're really getting better!" Sora shouted. Kairi grinned.

"Thanks Sora." Kairi said. But suddenly, Sora was able to deflect another of her attacks, knock the Keyblade from her hand and smirked.

"But not quite enough to beat me." Sora said. Kairi chuckled and called a time out. Donald and Goofy were watching and gave a cheer to Sora for finishing with a quick turn around.

"Hey! Thanks guys!" Sora laughed. But as Sora was basking in the attention, he didn't hear Leon come over.

"Huh? Leon? What's up?" Sora asked. Leon told Sora that Cid wanted to see him and any others who wielded a Keyblade.

"Why?" Kairi asked.

"Let's just say....there's something you guys need to see." Leon said. Sora and Kairi merely shrugged and rounded up Riku, Roxas, Xion, Mickey, Ven and Aqua before going to Cid. Donald and Goofy tagged along too.

"Cid? Everything all right?" Sora asked. Cid invited them over and brought something up on his monitor.

"I wish it was. I just discovered this really FREAKY world out in space that I think you guys should check out." Cid said. When Roxas asked where, he brought up an image of the Keyblade Graveyard. Aqua and Ventus gasped.

"That.....That place...." Ven muttered. He showed them images such as the many Keyblades laying in the dusty plains and even the large rocky tower that held the final fight between Ven and Vanitas, as well as Xehanort and Terra.

"You two know that place?" Kairi asked. Ven and Aqua both nodded. But as the Keybladers stared on, Raine found herself coming in as well.

"Fascinating." she muttered. Sora looked back and they stepped aside, letting Raine see the ruined world.

"Look at all of the Keyblades. Sora? I think this world may house lost Keyblade souls." Raine said. Roxas asked Raine why she came and she explained that she wanted to see what they were called in for.

"Yeah. Well, I keep having this....really STRANGE feeling about that world. You guys may wanna go take a look at it." Cid said. Riku nodded, as did the others.

"All right. You guys ready to go check this place out?" Xion asked. Sora nodded and took the others with him aboard the Gummi Ship. Raine asked to come as well and she was accepted. Together, the Gummi Ship was soon soaring out into the starry sky. They traveled a great distance, but their ship eventually reached the Keyblade Graveyard.

"This place....it reminds me of..." Aqua said. Ven turned to Aqua.

"Aqua....if you're nervous about coming back here again, then...." Ven muttered. But Aqua glanced at Ven and said she was all right. The ship began it's descent and the first thing to greet Sora was a small gust of wind, kicking up dust in it's wake.

"Whoa. Look at the size of this place." Riku said. They all couldn't believe the sight before them. There was absolutely no signs of life at all. All they could see was endless canyons and dusty plains.

"Amazing. Can't you feel it? All the misery and pain that took place here?" Raine asked. Sora nodded, saying he felt it too. Kairi said she felt it so much that it actually felt like a weight was put on her.

"No kidding. What happened here?" Roxas asked.

"It was a great struggle. Hundreds of Keybladers, both from the light and dark, clashed here in hopes of making the most powerful weapon of all, one that could open the doors to Kingdom Hearts." Mickey said. Sora and Riku gasped.

"However, it ultimately failed and those who battled lost their lives. To this day, it's known as the Great Keyblade War." Mickey finished. Kairi couldn't believe her ears.

"So....those Keyblades that we saw on Cid's monitor were....." Kairi said. Riku nodded.

"They must've been the Keyblades wielded by the fallen warriors." Riku said. Roxas groaned, not believing such a conflict even happened between Keybladers.

"Come on. Let's....Let's take a look around. Cid said he had a strange feeling about this place." Xion stuttered. Sora looked on and figured that was all they could do. As they went on ahead, Ven and Aqua had flashbacks of the ferocious battle they had here.

"Terra.....if you ARE here, we're going to save you." Ven thought. Aqua looked around, hoping for any signs of Terra.

"Sora? I'm scared." Kairi said. Sora leaned close to Kairi and held her hand. Donald and Goofy stayed close to the king.

"Whoa. Your Majesty? Do you think there are any....gh....ghosts here?" Donald asked.

"Welp, we'll know if we find one." Mickey said. That only made Donald more nervous and jumpy. Everyone held onto their Keyblades, waiting for a sign of a Heartless or Nobody.

"I feel like we're going on forever. How big IS this place?" Roxas asked.

"I don't know. But keep your eyes open for...." Sora said. But before he could finish, he heard the sound of clanking boots coming his way.

"Wait! Nobody make a sound!" Sora called. Everyone fell silent, listening for the boots. They all heard it too.

"Sora?" Kairi asked, quickly silenced by Sora. Riku and Sora looked around them. The sound suddenly stopped.

"All right! Come out! We know you're here! So show yourself!" Sora shouted. They heard nothing.

"Just come out! What are you?! Chicken?!" Riku called. Suddenly, something leaped down from a high cliff and landed right before Sora and Riku. Everyone drew their blades and stood at the ready. But Aqua and Ven gasped, seeing their new foe was actually the Lingering Sentiment, Terra's armor.

"Terra!" Ven and Aqua exclaimed. Sora stopped them.

"Wait. This guy is your friend Terra?" Sora asked. The sentiment looked down at Sora, remembering him from when they fought last. It also looked at Riku, remembering a faint image of the child he met on the islands. It then looked at Ven and Aqua.

_Ven.....Aqua.......is.....th....that you?_

Aqua and Ven, knowing that was their friend Terra, hurried over to it.

"Terra! It's you! You're all right!" Ventus exclaimed. But when Ven tried to hug him, the Sentiment backed away.

_No. Don't.....come near.....me. I.....did not want....you both to......see me as I am now._

"Terra, what's wrong with you? It's us. Aqua and Ventus, your friends....remember?" Aqua asked. She reached up for his helmet and was able to take it off. However, she saw that there was no head, causing everyone to gasp.

"GHOST!" Donald squawked, lunging into Goofy's arms. The sentiment took back its helmet and set it on its head.

_I am.....nothing more......than an empty shell....of my former self._

"No. Terra.....what HAPPENED to you?" Ventus asked. Just then, they heard two others approach.

"Want US to tell you?" a voice asked. They spun around quick and saw Vanitas standing next to Xehanort's Lifeless.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	17. Ch 75: History Repeats Itself

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 75: History Repeats Itself_**

The dusty winds blew gently as Sora and friends were now facing Xehanort's Lifeless paired with Vanitas. Utter silence remained between the two of them until Xehanort took one look at the Lingering Sentiment and laughed.

"Terra! I almost didn't recognize you! Ha ha ha! How have you been old friend? Enjoying your new life these past twelve years?!" Xehanort exclaimed. Xehanort continued to laugh, provoking the Sentiment.

"Terra! No! Wait!" Ven and Aqua exclaimed. But the Sentiment charged for Xehanort with its Keyblade ready to strike. Xehanort merely watched.

_XEHANORT!  
_

But just as the Sentiment attacked, Xehanort lashed out something in defense. Sora gasped to see it was the Keyblade of Master Xehanort!

"What the?! A Keyblade?!" Sora shouted. Xehanort drove the Sentiment back and gave a powerful slash across its chest. Aqua and Terra rushed to its side.

"Terra!" Ven shouted. Xehanort chuckled.

"Look at how the mighty have fallen. I guess being stranded in a desolant wasteland for all this time can do that to a person." Xehanort said. Sora stepped before the Sentiment and asked how Xehanort got a Keyblade.

"It wasn't simple. But after much hard effort, Master Xehanort.....has been reborn." Vanitas said. Riku bet anything that his Keyblade was a fake. But the Lifeless smirked.

"No. You do not understand young Riku. Long ago, I lost my memory and with it went my control of the Keyblade. But now, I have remembered everything now. And I've come to finish what I left unattended." Xehanort said, looking up to the sky. He looked up at where his final fight with Terra took place.

"Kingdom Hearts.....I have returned for you." Xehanort said. Kairi and Sora groaned.

"No! You won't! You'll never get into Kingdom Hearts!" Kairi shouted. Xehanort glanced at Kairi and smirked. He suddenly reached out and clutched Kairi by the neck, choking her with a dark force.

"Kairi!" Roxas and Xion exclaimed. Mickey growled.

"Xehanort! Let Kairi go!" Mickey shouted. Xehanort smirked, saying he wouldn't dare let go of the only one who COULD open Kingdom Hearts' doors. Sora growled, seeing Kairi gasping for breath.

"Didn't you hear him? Let....Kairi.....GO!" Sora exclaimed. He came charging for him and attacked, catching Xehanort off guard and breaking his grasp on Kairi. Riku moved Kairi away, leaving Xehanort and Vanitas to glare at Sora and the Sentiment.

_Xehanort.....today......we end this._

"You think you can? Come then! Let's see you reclaim your body fool!" Xehanort shouted. Sora and the Sentiment charged at Xehanort together, but Sora's attack was cut off by Vanitas.

"Not so fast! Your fight is with ME Sora!" Vanitas shouted. But suddenly, Vanitas was tackled by Ventus, knocking his helmet off.

"No! Your fight is with me Vanitas! Leave Sora alone!" Ven shouted. He looked down at Vanitas' face as he looked up at Ven and growled. With but a yell, Unversed appeared and lunged at Ven, pinning him to the ground.

"Yes. You're right. Since YOU are amongst the living again.....Ventus.....I can finally reclaim your heart! Submit to me weakling!" Vanitas shouted. He lunged for Ventus, but Aqua interfered and drove him back.

"No! You're not getting your evil hands on Ven's heart AGAIN!" Aqua shouted. Sora hurried after the Sentiment, who was locked in a fierce battle against Xehanort.

"Just face it Terra! Without your body, you're too weak to beat me!" Xehanort shouted. The Sentiment suddenly darted across the field and slashed at Xehanort each time it passed, following into a brutal attack using its whip. Xehanort was caught in the cross fire and took every hit.

_Even without it....I will.....make you pay....for what you did!_

"Oh really?! And how do you plan to do THAT?!" Xehanort shouted. He came for the Sentiment, but Sora intervened. Behind them, Vanitas was duking out a hard battle against both Ventus and Aqua. The two Keybladers were beginning to overpower him. And as he saw the other Keybladers coming, he groaned.

"Unversed! Stop them!" Vanitas exclaimed. The Unversed obeyed his commands and cut off Riku and the others. They were Buckle Bruiser, Flood and Scrapper Unversed.

"Out of the way!" Raine shouted. It was soon three fights going at once, Sora and the Sentiment against Xehanort, Aqua and Ventus against Vanitas and Sora's friends against an Unversed gang. Keyblades were being swung all over the place. Xehanort was forced to use Xemnas' sabers when he had trouble deflecting them both.

"Begone!" Xehanort exclaimed, firing up a barrier and shooting Sora and the Sentiment back. But the Sentiment was quick to counter and started hacking at the barrier.

_Xehanort! You won't escape me!_

"Dah! You fool! An imbecile to the end!" Xehanort exclaimed, forcing the Sentiment back. It was left open for a counter strike and Xehanort delivered a powerful blow, slightly cracking the Sentiment's chest plate. Ventus watched the Sentiment sent rocketing down to the ground and crashed, causing one of the canyon walls to collapse on it.

"No! Terra!" Ventus exclaimed. He glared at Vanitas, ferociously attacking Aqua. Ventus yelled and was able to catch Vanitas off guard and surprise him with a counter strike from behind. Vanitas was knocked down and fell partially unconscious.

"Aqua! Terra needs help!" Ventus shouted, rushing Aqua over with him. The Unversed began to fall as well. Vanitas snarled, trying to get up but was forced down by Riku.

"Don't even try it pal! Your fight is over!" Riku shouted. Vanitas glared back at Riku and growled, forcing him off with a dark pulse. Vanitas clutched his blade and charged for Ventus and Aqua.

"Ventus! Your heart is MINE!" Vanitas roared. But before it could get him, the Sentiment clutched onto Ventus and shielded him from an onslaught of attacks from Vanitas.

"Terra!" Ven exclaimed. The Sentiment only held onto Ven as tight as he could, not even moving as Vanitas continued to attack. The attacks tore away at its cape.

_Ven.....I.....won't let him.....get you. You're my friend._

Vanitas growled and finally had enough of hacking at the Sentiment's armor. He leaped over them and came at Ventus from behind.

"Out of my way you old relic!" Vanitas exclaimed. But the Sentiment surprised him by turning its Keyblade into a large cannon and was blasted by the giant energy sphere.

_Who are....you calling old....relic you.....weakling?_

Vanitas groaned and fell to the ground, finally knocked unconscious. Xehanort was pushed back by Sora, mostly weakened from fighting the Sentiment. He quickly gasped for breath as his eyes remained locked on Sora.

"How.....can this be? The only way....you could've had......the Keyblade would've been...." Xehanort panted. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. I was the vessel for Ventus' heart. But now, he has his back. And I gained the Keyblade MY way." Sora said. Xehanort groaned.

"So...that's how it was. Fine. I see." Xehanort said. He looked at Vanitas and opened a dark portal beneath him, sending him away. Xehanort began fading away as well, into his own dark portal.

"This fight....is not over Sora. We will meet again. I promise you." Xehanort said. But the Sentiment saw Xehanort escaping and made a break for it.

"Terra!" Ventus and Aqua exclaimed. As Xehanort vanished, the Sentiment dove in after him.

_XEHANORT!_

The dark portals closed and the remaining Unversed fled, leaving the Keybearers alone in the empty field once more. Ventus began quivering and groaned, pounding the dirt.

"No! Terra! Come back!" Ventus exclaimed. Aqua tried to calm Ventus down, ending up having to hug Ventus to control his anger.

"Ven....calm down. At least we know....he's all right." Aqua said. Sora groaned.

"Dang Xehanort. I'm starting to think he's too afraid to go for a full round." Sora said. Mickey told Sora not to underestimate Xehanort, especially now that he could wield a Keyblade.

"Gawrsh, I hope Terra's okay. He really seemed bent on getting Xehanort." Goofy said. Donald nodded.

"Come on. Maybe we should have a look at that field of Keyblades....before they "decide" to have round two." Riku said. Sora groaned and nodded. They waited for Ven to calm down before continuing on. They headed further ahead and came across the large Keyblade covered field.

"Look at this place. It's horrible to think such a fight existed." Sora said. Just then, Sora, Kairi and Riku saw their charms glow. By their sides came the spirits of their collected Keyblader souls.

"Yes. Such a great blow to the Keyblade wielders. We never recovered." Wulf said.

"To think, all of this started because these fools were trying to make a weapon strong enough to open Kingdom Hearts." Sykes said.

"The X-Blade. That monstrosity of a Keyblade should NEVER surface again." Yang added. Atlas and Elisa both gave a nod. Kairi closed her eyes.

"Kairi? What are you doing?" Xion asked.

"Praying for these lost souls. I hope they're resting in peace." Kairi said. Sora felt that was a good idea as the other Keybladers prayed with her. They then heard a faint voice.

"Help.....me...." it muttered. Sora quickly opened his eyes and looked towards the crossroad made by the Keyblades, seeing an injured person quivering on the ground. Sora and Riku hurried over.

"Hey! Are you all right? What happened?" Sora asked. The man groaned and looked up at Sora and Riku.

"A dark knight. He....came and robbed this field of....the Keyblader souls that once...wandered it. I tried to stop him, but...." the man groaned. The man suddenly collapsed, quickly embraced by Riku. Ven and Aqua looked at the man's face and gasped. It was the soul of Master Eraqus.

"Master Eraqus!" they exclaimed. Eraqus looked back at his apprentices.

"Aqua......Ventus......you're alive...." Eraqus muttered. He groaned and started to fade.

"Eraqus! Wait! Here. Use me as your vessel. We're trying to save the Keyblader spirits before the darkness gets them! Let us save you!" Riku shouted. Eraqus looked up at Riku.

"You.....You're the boy.....Terra picked. Very.....well...." Eraqus said. A light glowed from Eraqus as he passed onto Riku. With it, Riku gained the pendant from Eraqus' belt.

"Master Eraqus...." Ventus muttered. Feeling there was nothing more to do, Sora and the others decided to leave the graveyard. Sora was forced to drag Raine behind him, having her gone into "Ruin Mode" again.

"Come on Raine. Time to go." Sora said. Raine continued to struggle.

"But Sora! Surely you aren't fascinated yourself by the sight of all those Keyblades! At least let me examine them for but a moment!" Raine shouted. But her efforts were futile as she was pulled aboard the Gummi Ship and it took off, en route back to Radiant Gardens.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	18. Ch 76: Dive into the Sphere

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 76: Dive Into the Sphere_**

Things seemed peaceful in Radiant Gardens for a while. After Sora and the other Keybladers traveled to the Keyblade Graveyard, the Heartless seemed to ease up and all was calm and quiet. Even Sora was shocked at the newfound peace.

"Is it me or have things gotten TOO peaceful around here?" Sora asked. Goofy and Donald were playing cards with Rallen and Jeena.

"Gawrsh, we haven't really noticed Sora." Goofy said. Riku passed by and asked Sora if he felt it was too quiet around here.

"I was just saying that. Come on Riku. Let's have a look and see. Something feels fishy to me." Sora said. Riku nodded and joined Sora in heading for Ansem's Study. Everyone else in town seemed quite busy with something else, as Sora and Riku all saw them playing.

"Hey, what's going on around here?" Sora asked.

"Is this some kind of game?" Riku asked. They saw everyone playing a strange game being displayed on floating game stations. Sora and Riku even found Rikku, Yuna and Paine.

"Oh! Look out Rikku! Behind you!" Yuna cried. Rikku was constantly trying to shift her character, but was having trouble. She soon saw she lost.

"Dah! Stupid game!" Rikku exclaimed. Sora and Riku approached.

"Uhh....hi girls. What's this?" Sora asked. The three small fairies turned around.

"Oh. Hi Sora. Hey, have you tried this game? Ansem and Cid started installing it a few days ago and it obviously RULES. If only I'd WIN for once...." Rikku groaned. Paine figured it was just because Rikku was too inexperienced and small.

"Watch it tiny! You're not exactly BIG yourself!" Rikku shouted. Sora looked at the screen and it said "Eternal Sphere" in big letters.

"Eternal Sphere, huh? Well, maybe later. We were going to see if Ansem has found any Heartless yet." Sora said. As the boys left, Yuna took her turn. Sora and Riku made it up to Ansem's Study and saw Emil and Marta with Ansem also.

"Hello Sora, Riku. What brings you boys here?" Ansem asked. Zexion passed by behind them.

"Hey Ansem, have you noticed things have been too QUIET lately? I mean, the Dark Knight, Vanitas....not a single Heartless has shown up." Sora said. Riku thought something big had to be up.

"Well, for the time being, I'm just glad that the people of this city can live their days peacefully." Ansem said. Riku asked what all the game systems in town were.

"Ah. I hoped you would ask that question. Cid and I had just gotten it running earlier. A while ago, I received a gift from an old friend of mine to try out his game. It's one of those "large roleplaying" type games or...whatever. The game is called Eternal Sphere." Ansem said. Marta told Sora she played it a little while ago and the places she saw looked amazing.

"Really? So why are you here now?" Sora asked. Emil chuckled.

"Marta wanted to tell Ansem how much she liked playing the game. You should try it Sora. I haven't played yet, but it looks fun." Emil said. Just then, the Heartless detector went off.

"Finally. Some action." Riku said. Ansem observed the detector.

"What? This is strange. Heartless are starting to appear right in the EXACT spots where Cid installed the Eternal Sphere stations!" Ansem shouted. Sora looked at the screen, seeing he was right.

"This is bad. Riku! Go get Donald and Goofy. I'll go see what the situation looks like!" Sora shouted. Riku nodded and the four raced outside. Downtown, there were multiple signs of Heartless all over town. Most were Shadow and Soldiers, but the others appeared to be straight from Tron's world! Sora rushed onto the scene and saw kids running from the Heartless.

"Aren't those....? Tron!" Sora gasped. He drew his Keyblade and charged into the fray, quickly joined by Hercules.

"Hey Sora! I guess you found out! Come on! We've got some bugs to stomp!" Herc called. Sora agreed and the two charged into battle. Hercules' powerful jumps crushed the Shadows beneath him and Sora was fighting against Magnum Loaders. They were outspeeding him before Goofy and Donald arrived.

"Sora! Riku gave us the word! What's going on?!" Goofy asked.

"I don't know! Come on! We've gotta drive these Heartless off!" Sora shouted. Hercules said he'd handle the Heartless here and left Sora and his group to head back for Ansem's Study. They saw the committee had already joined the fray and they started slaying Heartless.

"Sora! Go see Ansem! Find out what's causing this!" Leon shouted. Sora said he was already on it, passing by Leon and Cloud. Kids were chased inside with the Heartless ravenging outside. But Sora's friends were quick to rush into the battlefield and provide assistance. Pete and Seifer started their charge and took down each Heartless they came across. But no matter how many they beat, more were coming.

"Where are they all coming from?!" Mulan shouted. Bolt growled and howled, quaking the field and flinging a Devastator Heartless skybound. Regal also provided assistance. Sora was able to make it to Ansem's Study and find it too was under attack. Emil and Marta were doing their best to protect Ansem.

"Sora!" Ansem exclaimed. Sora, Donald and Goofy drew their weapons.

"Hang on Ansem!" Sora shouted. They joined the kids and scared away the Heartless, leaving a moment of relief for this part of town.

"Ansem, what's going on? Where are the Heartless coming from?" Sora asked. Ansem groaned.

"I don't know. It's almost as if they're coming right out of the game itself." Ansem said. Sora thought for a moment, remembering they were appearing in the same spots as the game stations were installed.

"Ansem? Let us check it out." Sora said. Ansem wished for Sora to explain.

"A while ago, we accidentally went into your computer and met Tron. His world was in your computer and it too had Heartless. If we use your computer, we could go into the "Eternal Sphere" and shut down wherever the Heartless are getting their access to the town." Sora said. Ansem figured that would be the best thing and granted them access.

"We're coming too Sora." Emil said. Sora nodded and led his group towards Ansem's computer. They still found it perfectly intact. Sora brought up the Eternal Sphere game screen on the computer before beginning the teleporter.

"We'll be back Ansem! See what you can do in the meantime!" Sora shouted. Ansem nodded and told Sora to hurry. The teleporter fired at them and Sora found himself being projected, again, into Ansem's computer. But this time, they weren't going for Space Paranoids. They were entering the Eternal Sphere game itself.

"Here we go!" Sora exclaimed. Sora shielded his eyes as they were racing through the portal into the computer. When they appeared, they seemed to be high above the Hyda IV resort's beach.

"Oh great. We're gonna crash!" Donald squawked. Everyone braced together and landed in the ocean, causing a large cannonball like splash. After splashing down, they quickly swam to the surface and spit water from their mouths. Donald rattled his head and shook water out of his ears.

"Are we....Are we inside the Eternal Sphere?" Emil asked. Marta looked at the beach line ahead of them.

"We must be. Come on. Let's get to shore. I'm actually getting cold out here." Marta said. Sora agreed and they swam to the beach. But soon as they stepped onto the beach, they saw more people screaming and running.

"Gawrsh, what's going on?" Goofy asked.

"A part of the game maybe?" Donald asked. Sora didn't think so, quickly seeing what was scaring everyone. It was the Hostile Program, engaging two people in a fight. One was a young man with short blue hair and carried a sword while the other was a young girl with metal cuffs around her wrists and two yellow pigtails. The Hostile Program had its giant claws clamped on another person, a young woman with brown hair.

"Fayt! Help!" she cried. Fayt groaned.

"Darn it! Peppita, what are we gonna do?! It's got Sophia!" Fayt exclaimed. Peppita looked at the giant creature and groaned.

"Hey ya big dummy! Put her down! I'm not kidding!" Peppita shouted. Sora and the others rushed to the scene, calling to the others.

"Hmm? Who are you guys?" Fayt asked.

"Leave this to us!" Sora shouted, drawing his Keybalde. The others stood ready with their weapons as well. The Hostile Program scanned Sora's group.

"Targets identified. Target: Keyblade Wielder Sora, Wizard Donald, Knight Goofy, Emil Castagnier and Marta Lualdi. Mission Execute: DESTROY Targets." it said. Sora seemed a bit surprised.

"Wait. When did it....talk?" Sora asked. It flung Sophia away, but Fayt was able to catch her and came skidding to a stop. The giant monster now locked its sights on Sora.

"Let's get 'em!" Donald squawked. Sora's group charged for battle and the Hostile Program began the attack. It shot laser beams from its hands and aimed for Sora. But he was able to dodge roll to its side and attack. Emil and Marta joined in before being blown back.

"Come on Goofy!" Donald squawked. Goofy came in for an attack, shielding Donald from its laser. Donald called down Thundaga and zapped the monster.

"Annihilate Targets! Annihilate Targets!" the Program shouted. It ceased the lasers and shot out tiny blasts around it. They became tracking arrows and zoomed in on Sora and Emil.

"Ready guys? Let's take it down!" Sora shouted. He and Emil came charging as Emil went into Ratatosk Mode. The two unleashed a vicious attack to Hostile Program's front and drove the creature back with each strike. Emil's final blow knocked the giant down.

"How's THAT ya stupid program?!" Emil exclaimed. The Hostile Program quickly recovered and stood again.

"Command Understood. Returning to Base." it said. Without much of an explanation, the Hostile Program started to flee, leaving the beach completely. Sora watched it until it was out of sight. With it gone, everyone sighed.

"What is that doing back here?" Sora asked. Fayt, Peppita and Sophia came over and checked out Sora's group.

"Hey. Thanks a lot for the assist. You guys sure know how to fight." Peppita said "We couldn't even land a blow on that thing earlier." Sora smirked, telling them it was no trouble.

"Well, thanks anyway. My name's Fayt Leingod and these are my friends." Fayt said, introducing himself. Sophia waved.

"Hi. My name is Sophia Esteed, nice to meet you." Sophia said. Peppita giggled.

"And my name is Peppita Rosetti, a pleasure." Peppita said. Sora looked at his friends and started their introductions.

"I'm Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, Emil and Marta. Nice to meet you too." Sora said. Fayt looked at the Keyblade in Sora's hands.

"If you guys are good fighters, maybe you can help us. These weird black bugs started showing up on Hyda IV and they're driving everyone nuts. We're trying to fend them off, but then that giant thing showed up and made it harder." Fayt said. Sora asked Fayt if the creatures they saw were attacking people.

"Yeah. They were. Wait. How would you know?" Fayt asked.

"Uhh...we'll explain. Come on." Sora said. Sora and Fayt's groups joined together and headed for the inside of the resort. Meanwhile, in another strange world, Kairi was seen waking up.

"Wow. I had a long nap." Kairi said, giving a yawn. She took a nap inside of the team base, but now woke up in what appeared to be a city inside of a tree.

"What? Hey. Where....Where am I?" Kairi asked. She saw strange fairies flying past her when one was seen over her. Kairi saw she was Tinkerbell, wearing clothes made from leaves.

"Kairi? Good. You're awake." Tinkerbell said. Kairi seemed a bit surprised.

"Huh? Who....Who are you?" Kairi asked. Tinker Bell and Kairi continued glancing at each other, neither making a sound.

**_TO BE CONTINUED...  
_**


	19. Ch 77: Mystery of Pixie Hollow

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 77: Mystery of Pixie Hollow_**

Tinkerbell told Kairi that she was inside Pixie Hollow, a special realm accessible only by fairy magic. Kairi looked around her and realized she was inside of a giant tree, standing on a large branch.

"But....how'd I get here?" Kairi asked.

"Simple. We brought you here." Tink said. Kairi looked around and only saw Tinkerbell.

"Uhhh....what do you mean "we" Tinkerbell?" Kairi asked. Tink stopped and turned to Kairi, seeing no one else too.

"Oh yeah. Give me a second." Tink said. She gave a loud whistle and suddenly, another group of fairies came flying over. They wore blue, yellow, red and orange clothes.

"These are my friends. We all helped you get here Tinkerbell." Tink said. One of the fairies waved.

"Hi there. My name's Iridessa." the fairy in yellow said. The blue dressed fairy gave a smile.

"And I'm Silvermist. Nice to meet you." she said. The fairy in red crossed her arms.

"Hello. My name's Rosetta and this is Fawn." the red fairy said. Fawn chuckled, giving a wave to Kairi. Kairi smiled and waved back.

"Sorry if we scared you Kairi, but we had to show you something. It's important." Iridessa explained. Kairi seemed a bit worried.

"What....is it? Is it bad?" Kairi asked.

"Actually, it's something that concerns you." Rosetta said. Kairi looked to Tinkerbell.

"Uhhh.....okay. I'll see it." Kairi said. Tink nodded and told her to follow them. Kairi nodded and joined the fairies in walking towards the central part of the tree. Kairi saw many other fairies around her, flying around with their wings.

"This place is amazing. Is....Is this where all the fairies live?" Kairi asked. Silvermist nodded.

"Yeah. It's a great place to live. Maybe we can give ya a tour after this." Silvermist said. But just then, a black blob appeared inbetween Kairi and Tink. It looked like a Heartless.

"Gah!" Kairi exclaimed. The blob formed into a Shadow Heartless. Other Heartless were appearing also.

"Oh geez. Not THEM again!" Tink groaned. She drew a bow and fired an arrow, piercing them in a flash. Kairi had just called for her Keyblade.

"It's okay. I got them." Tink sighed. She put the bow away and told Kairi it was safe. Kairi sighed.

"All right." she said. The fairies brought Kairi to a cavern inside of the trunk. There were strange markings engraved inside the walls of the tree.

"What is this place?" Kairi asked. Her fairy friends stopped and turned to her.

"We sort of found it by accident. It's some kind of ancient cavern, way back from the early days that fairies inhabited Pixie Hollow." Rosetta said. Kairi looked at a marking on the wall and it was the shape of a heart.

"Hey. This....looks like..." Kairi said. She felt the wall and suddenly, the markings on the wall started glowing blue. Kairi gasped and stepped back.

"Did I do something wrong?!" Kairi exclaimed. Fawn chuckled.

"No. Don't worry about it. I did that last time and this happened." Fawn said. Suddenly, a strange projection was starting to appear in the center of the room. The fairies and Kairi looked on.

"But I didn't see THAT!" Fawn exclaimed. Kairi slowly approached the projection and it appeared to be a middle aged young woman, dressed in beautiful royal garments. But Kairi gasped when she saw the woman looked just like her.

"Kairi....my daughter.....I'm so happy you finally found this place. It's been so long since you were sent away." she said. Kairi tried to touch her, but her hand phased right through her.

"Is.....Is she my mother?" Kairi thought.

"Listen. I don't know how many years it must have been since those terrible creatures of darkness came and overtook our home. But now, it's nothing but a former of it's past self." she explained. Kairi thought the "creatures of darkness" were the Heartless.

"We sent you away to keep you safe from those monsters when they appeared. But now, we need you. You MUST return to Kingdom Hearts dear....to take your place on the throne. Help us drive these monsters away." she said. Kairi and Tink gasped.

"Kingdom Hearts? Throne? Y....You?!" Silvermist asked. Kairi suddenly saw something burst into the scene and Heartless attacked the queen. Kairi gasped.

"NO! Mom!" Kairi exclaimed. But the transmission ended before Kairi did anything. The walls continued to glow blue. Kairi just stood there, shaking and rattling her fists.

"No......mother....." Kairi muttered. A tear rolled down her cheek as the others came to her.

"How'd you know this would concern me?" she asked. Iridessa checked the walls and said that the strange text on the wall, when translated, stated that this chamber is solely to be used by the heir to Kingdom Hearts' throne, namely a Princess of Light with the strongest heart.

"We tried some of the others. But we finally figured you had to be the one this room was reffering to." Tink said. Kairi glanced at them.

"Well, thanks. I'm glad you showed me this." Kairi said. Just then, they heard metal boots clanking their way. Kairi gasped and turned to the doorway. There stood the Dark Knight!

"Yes. Me too.....little fairies." he said. Kairi quickly drew her Keyblade as the knight lunged for her. Their blades clashed as Kairi defended herself.

"I knew it since I first saw you. You ARE Kingdom Hearts' heir." he said. Kairi groaned.

"And....what if I am?!" Kairi groaned. The knight suddenly grasped her by the neck. He lifted her high in the air.

"Then tell me....HOW do I get into Kingdom Hearts?! Answer me!" he bellowed. Kairi gagged and started kicking her legs. She knew she had to fight back and activated Aquaria's charm. In an explosion of water, the knight released Kairi and she gained Aquaria's Keyblade. Her clothes now donned a sea blue color.

"I'll NEVER talk!" Kairi exclaimed. She came charging and attacked the knight in a barrage of attacks, most missing. But one strike was able to break his defense and left him open for a double combo attack. Her last strike sent the knight skidding back.

"Hmph. Very well. If you're going to put up a fight, I shall have to as well." he said. He extended his sword and it began glowing pitch black. He roared and fired a wave of black energy towards her. Kairi gasped and ducked. It soared over her and ended up smashing the walls around her. The blue lights faded away.

"Kairi!" Tink cried. All they heard now was blades clashing, faintly seeing Kairi and the knight in the darkness. Tink drew her bow and tried to fire, but she wasn't sure if she was aiming for Kairi or the knight.

"What am I gonna do?! Kairi needs help!" Tink exclaimed. Silvermist suddenly flew towards a figure in the dark and grasped its arms. She had the knight.

"Get off me you wing headed clown!" he exclaimed. But Kairi took this opening and attacked, slamming the knight into a wall as Silvermist flew back. Kairi panted, holding both blades.

"How do you like that? Huh?" Kairi asked. The knight groaned, pushing himself out of the wall.

"You are.....strong, young one. But I will not.....LOSE!" he bellowed. His sword suddenly grew razor sharp and he came charging. Kairi tried to shield herself. But the knight somehow broke through her Keyblade defense and blasted Kairi directly with a surge of darkness. Kairi screamed and was knocked to the ground.

"Kairi!" the fairies exclaimed. They suddenly heard voices approaching from the outside.

"Someone is in there! What's going on in there?!" a male voice called out. The knight glared back and groaned.

"Reinforcements. I suppose I'll have to get my answer from you at a later date." he said. He placed his sword back in its sheath and vanished in a flash. Kairi coughed and clutched her side.

"Kairi? You okay?" Iridessa asked. Kairi groaned.

"Yeah. I'm....fine." Kairi groaned. The fairies helped her out and they faced the other fairies with what was going on. Elsewhere, Sora and Fayt were continuing to drive Heartless out from the Eternal Sphere.

"Take THAT!" Peppita cried, slamming down a Heartless with the ribbons on her wrists. Fayt yelled and unleashed Blade of Fury on a Soldier Heartless, bringing it down. Sora and his team finished off a Large Body Heartless, securing the central floor of Hyda IV's resort.

"All right. I think that's all of them." Sora said. Fayt took a look around.

"Yeah. It seems it is." Fayt said.

"Thank you guys. We might not have driven them off without you." Sophia said. Marta chuckled and said it was no big deal.

"What I wanna know is where are all these Heartless coming from?" Emil asked. Sora groaned, wishing he knew.

"That must've been our tenth fight on this floor." Donald sighed.

"Gawrsh. No telling if anymore are gonna come back." Goofy added. Just then, something in Fayt's pocket beeped. He took out a small cell phone.

"Hello?" Fayt asked.

"Fayt! You okay?" a male voice called. Fayt suddenly smiled.

"Cliff? Cliff! Is that you?!" Fayt asked.

"Yeah. We got your distress call. Sorry it took us a while to get here. The space surrounding Hyda IV is SWARMING with these nasty little black ships. They gave us a bit of interference." Cliff said "But don't worry. We're directly in Hyda IV's atmosphere and should be down at the beach in a few minutes. Don't worry. Quark isn't about to let an old friend down." Fayt nodded and thanked Cliff.

"Who was that?" Marta asked.

"A friend of mine. We sent out a distress signal to them earlier, but we never heard back until now." Fayt said. Donald had a funny suspicion this was the Heartless' doing.

"Let's go back to the beach and meet them. All right?" Fayt asked. Sora nodded and followed Fayt and the others back outside.

**_TO BE CONTINUED...  
_**


	20. Ch 78: Luther Strikes Back

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 78: Luther Strikes Back_**

Sora and Fayt hurried out to the beach surrounding Hyda IV and observed three people being transported down. One was a young woman with long blue hair and the others were two tall figures with blonde hair each. Fayt knew them as Maria Traydor, Cliff Fittir and Mirage Koas.

"Yo! How've you been Fayt?" Cliff asked. Fayt chuckled.

"Cliff! Maria! Mirage! Great to see you guys!" Fayt exclaimed. Maria smirked and wiped hair from her face.

"Sorry we're late Fayt. We got caught up a while back. These weird ships were seen surrounding Hyda IV on our entry into gravitic space." Maria said. Fayt told them about the Heartless situation down here, introducing Sora's group in the process.

"Hmm. I see. So THAT's what Hyda IV has its hands full with this time eh? Well, we're here to help." Cliff said. Sophia asked how they could help, considering the Heartless seemed to be multiplying.

"Let's just say....we've brought a little back up." Maria said, pointing behind them. She then radioed the Diplo and told Marietta it was time to send down the "back up" group. Marietta agreed and more people were beamed down. One was a young boy wearing overalls and a cap, another was a young woman with short red hair and marks on her legs, one was a muscular man with a sword at his side and a firm gaze and the last was a younger man with black hair, a sword at his waist and a sinister glare in his eyes.

"What the?! It's.....It's you guys!" Fayt exclaimed. They were Roger Huxley, Nel Zelpher, Adray Lasbard and Albel Nox. Albel huffed.

"So....we meet again....fools." Albel said. Sora gazed at Albel.

"What's YOUR deal? Someone wake you on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Sora asked. Albel glared at him.

"If I was you, I'd watch what you say. Albel isn't the "talkative" type. He's usually like this." Nel said. Albel huffed.

"Silence woman." Albel said. Sora chuckled, catching Albel's gaze again.

"And you. Laugh at me again....and I'll cut your mouth right off your face worm!" Albel sneered. Sora seemed to silence quickly after that. The others dared not to tease Albel also. Adray crossed his arms.

"So, we heard a great matter has befallen you my friend. What is going on?" Adray asked.

"Yeah. What's up Fayt? Haven't seen ya in a while. Surferio's kinda dull without you." Roger added. Fayt was about to say, but there was an echoing laugh around them. Albel took notice and drew his sword.

"We have company." Albel said. A giant light suddenly engulfed everyone and they soon found themselves transported to an unknown realm. It almost appeared that Fayt and the others were inside the Spiral Tower.

"Hey! Where....Where are we?!" Marta asked. Emil tried to see if he could spot anyone, but he saw no one else but them.

"All right! Show yourself! Whoever transported us here, come out!" Cliff called. The same laugh was heard as someone DID appear. He wore a red and gold cloak around his body and stared down at the party from high above. Fayt gasped.

"Luther!" he exclaimed. Unfortunately, it was Luther Lansfeld, the original creator of the Eternal Sphere.

"Hello.....friends. I do hope you've kept yourselves busy while I was gone. In fact, allow me to introduce you to my new FRIENDS." he said. He snapped his fingers and suddenly, Strafer Heartless surrounded them and the Hostile Program returned.

"It's back!" Peppita exclaimed. The others turned to the Heartless and drew their weapons.

"What? What ARE they?" Nel asked.

"Whatever they are, they better stay back if they know what's good for 'em!" Roger stuttered, trying to stay tough. Albel huffed.

"Well, don't THEY look like fun. Come and get me maggots!" Albel called. Sora and the others joined Fayt's group just as the Hostile Program came attacking. It fired lasers everywhere and forced the group to divide to dodge. Roger counterattacked and swung his axe from behind, followed by Peppita using her Magic Hook. Sora and Fayt lunged for the Hostile Program and knocked it over. But the creature was quick to rise.

"Annihilate! Annihilate!" it shouted. Its arms tucked in and came zooming around like a missile, ramming into everyone in its path. It even knocked Adray over with brute force, leaving him open to the Strafer Heartless. But Albel saved him by using Air Slash and drove the Heartless back.

"Hmph. Is this the best you can do? You're all worthless worms." Albel said. The Hearltess seemed angered and attacked, only for Albel to slay them all with a lightning fast attack. When he sheathed his sword, the Heartless instantly fell and their hearts were released. Albel glared behind him.

"Maggots. They weren't worth it." Albel said. But suddenly, he heard the Hostile Program coming his way. Mirage and Cliff were trying to hold it back, but even they had their feet dragging in the dirt.

"Albel! Look out!" Sora called. Cliff and Mirage were finally knocked over, leaving the creature to charge at Albel. He quickly drew his sword, but the Hostile Program rammed into him and slammed him back first into the wall.

"All right! That's enough! Let's get this thing!" Sora called. He, Donald and Goofy came charging and used Trinity when they got close enough, catching the program off guard. Cliff joined in with Hammer of Might and Nel used Shadow Wave to add more damage. The Trinity attack sent the Hostile Program skidding back.

"Must annihilate all targets!" it exclaimed. Sophia and Peppita looked on with worry as Albel forced himself from the wall.

"Why you little.....! Take THIS!" Albel roared. He lunged for the Hostile Program and came at it with a ferocious attack before sending it flying upward with Dragon Roar. The Program came crashing down on its back and faded away into digital dust. Albel huffed and sheathed his sword.

"Worm." he said. The others seemed quite shocked.

"Whoa. I hate to be on Albel's bad side." Emil said. Luther growled.

"Luther! When are you going to get it?! We're NOT your toys!" Fayt exclaimed. Luther huffed.

"Who said this was about before? I don't intend on controlling you. I came to ERASE you!" Luther shouted. He then snapped his fingers and a cloud appeared by his side. It took shape and became the Cloud of Darkness.

"Whoa! Who's the hot chick?" Cliff asked. Nel glared at Cliff.

"I don't know. Sora? Know this person?" Maria asked. Sora shook his head, saying this was his first meeting too.

"Greetings little ones. I am the Cloud of Darkness, but you should know me more as a member of the Legion of Chaos." she said. Sora gasped.

"The Legion of Chaos? Oh boy. This is bad." Emil said. Cloud of Darkness glared at Luther.

"So....I guess you WILL be needing my help. Very well." she said. She grabbed hold of Luther and she began fading into dark clouds, entering into Luther. He gagged at first, feeling her power overwhelming him.

"What?" Roger asked.

"They're fusing!" Goofy exclaimed. Luther continued to groan, clutching his chest before yelling loudly. Darkness came pouring out of him and engulfed his entire body. When he emerged, his body now looked crossed between his final form and Cloud of Darkness. The green tentacles appeared behind him and he had large flapping wings. He also had a thorn like tattoo under his eyes.

"Ha ha! This power! I can feel it! It is....incredible!" he exclaimed. Fayt and Sora groaned. Luther laughed and casted a lightning blast. It came crashing down and sent the others skidding back upon impact.

"Now then.....Eternal Sphere residents! Time to face your ultimate deletion!" Luther exclaimed. He clasped both hands together and fired rays of lightning down below him. Nel quickly dodged and countered with Ice Needles. They struck Luther but didn't seem to hurt him. She was left open for one of Luther's lightning blasts to strike her.

"Gaaah!" Nel exclaimed. Fayt gasped and dove for Nel, catching her when the blast sent her flying. Goofy threw his shield at Luther and managed to whack him in the face. It then returned to him and struck Luther again.

"You wanna fight with magic?! Sora!" Donald called. Sora nodded and initiated fusion with Donald, entering Wisdom Form. He started skating across the field and shooting bullets at Luther. He took each hit before a stream of shots were fired and knocked him upward. Luther started to descend.

"Don't play with me boy!" Luther called. He lashed out a tentacle and it snagged Sora. But Albel cut through it and the pain rushed up to Luther, yelling loudly.

"Hmph. You sure talk big, but you take pain like a weakling." Albel said. Luther growled.

"Oh really?! Then let's see YOU handle THIS!" Luther called. He fired a blast at Albel and it struck him hard. Albel flew back and fell to the ground.

"Albel!" Sophia called. She used Lightning Blast and was able to hit. Emil then joined in with Havoc Strike and Marta slashed at him with her spinner. Goofy tried using Goofy Tornado, but Luther flapped his giant wings and blew everyone back.

"You're only data!" Luther exclaimed. He then fired his other tentacle in the ground and giant thorns came popping out of the ground. Peppita was snagged by one.

"Fayt! Someone! Help!" Peppita called. Roger gasped and hurried to Peppita, but he was almost stabbed by a rising thorn.

"Dang it! This guy's all over the place!" Cliff shouted. Luther laughed and clasped both hands together.

"Oh no. I don't know if we can dodge this one." Fayt said. Luther was making a giant electrical sphere and it rose over his head.

"This....ends.....NOW!" Luther exclaimed. But just as he was about to throw it, Sora attacked and caught him off guard.

"We're not done yet Luther! You're history!" Sora called. He called to Fayt and, with only a nod, charged with him towards Luther.

"What....What are you doing?!" Luther asked. Sora defused with Donald and called for his Keyblade again.

"Here it comes Luther! You're gonna get it!" Sora called. He and Fayt joined hands and somehow, they both started to glow blue. Fayt could feel his hidden power beginning to build up. Most of it was transferring into Sora.

"What the?! That's.....That's Fayt genetic power!" Maria gasped. Fayt shut his eyes and made sure to concentrate it to Sora. When Sora had enough, a small sphere appeared on the tip of his Keyblade.

"What....What in the world is this?" Luther asked. Sora's eyes flashed open and they glowed bright blue. He yelled and fired a streaking beam up towards Luther. It didn't strike him, but phased through and it started to open a large portal behind him. Luther took one look and gasped.

"What?! No! No! This can't be! How did you do this?!" Luther exclaimed. He tried to escape, but it was sucking him into it.

"Gah! No! How can I be beaten, again, by my own creations?!" Luther exclaimed. Sora huffed.

"Who said I was your creation? Me and my friends are from the REAL world!" Sora called. Luther gasped.

"Impossible!" Luther exclaimed. He could no longer fight against the portal sucking him in and was ultimately pulled in before the portal engulfed itself and shattered, killing Luther. The others all cheered.

"All right Sora!" Goofy and Donald cried.

"That was....incredible. It's over." Nel said. Albel huffed.

"And just when it was getting interesting." Albel said. The scene soon changed back to Hyda IV and everyone stood together on the beach. Sophia looked up at the clear sky.

"Wow. That happened so fast. It's almost like nothing happened." Sophia said. Sora agreed, but before he could say anything else, he saw his Keyblade beginning to glow.

"What the?" Sora asked. Fayt started to glow also. The strange blue aura around Fayt shot up to the sky and it formed a Keyhole.

"A keyhole? In here?" Emil asked. Marta couldn't figure it out either. But Sora felt like it should be sealed. With a swing of his blade, Sora was able to lock the keyhole. The others looked on in wonder.

"What was THAT?" Cliff asked. They all glanced at Sora.

"Sorry guys. But that's our signal to go now. Glad to see your world is safe." Sora said. But as he was going to walk off with the others, he felt someone grab his shoulder. He looked back and saw Albel.

"Hold it. I'm not gonna let you go just yet. Why not have a duel with me?" Albel asked. Sora seemed to freeze.

"What?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. Come on Sora. You don't have to go so soon, do ya?" Peppita asked. Fayt invited Sora and his friends to hang out for a while with them. Sora glanced at his friends.

"Why not? We never got to see much of the Eternal Sphere before." Marta said. Sora then glanced at Fayt's group.

"Well, sure." Sora said. The others grinned.

"All right. Then come. Let us celebrate our victory with a feast!" Adray laughed. Nel sighed and so did Fayt. Sora and his friends chuckled. Sora and the others stayed in the Eternal Sphere for a bit longer, having a miniature celebration with Fayt and his friends before returning to Radiant Gardens. Kairi had also returned, after saying goodbye to Tinkerbell. Thanks to Sora, the Heartless seemed to have vanished and the town was safe.

**_TO BE CONTINUED...  
_**


	21. Ch 79: A Party in Agrabah

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 79: A Party in Agrabah_**

Days later, after their adventure in the Eternal Sphere, Sora was out in another world yet again. This time, he and his friends were traveling to Agrabah, just arriving in town. With Sora this time was Donald, Goofy, Auron, Seifer, Emil, Marta and Kairi.

"Here we are guys. Agrabah." Sora announced. Seifer glanced around and huffed.

"What's with you?" Donald asked.

"I finally get back in the field and it's a deserted dump? Humph." Seifer said. Kairi chuckled.

"Someone is rather grumpy, are they not?" Auron asked, giving a smirk.

"Oh zip it." Seifer said. As the group strolled through the town, they saw many decorations and balloons all around. Streamers were hanging around as well.

"Hey. This looks lively." Goofy said.

"I wonder what's up." Sora said. Suddenly, they heard someone zipping through town, happy and joyful as could be. It appeared to Sora as a blue blur.

"Whoa! Hey! Anyone know who that was?" Sora asked. Goofy and Donald tried to look, but the blur wouldn't stop and made them dizzy.

"Wahoo! Huh? Hey! SORA!" a voice called. Sora recognized him right away. The blue blur was really Genie, Aladdin's faithful buddy.

"Genie! Hey there!" Sora waved. Genie laughed and came to a stop.

"Hey Sora! You guys picked an AWESOME time to visit! C'mon! Follow me!" Genie called, zipping off again. Kairi giggled quietly as Genie came back and screeched to a stop.

"Oops! Forgot something." Genie said. He poofed a carpet beneath them and flew them through town. Down below, many people were starting to gather at the palace.

"So Genie, what's going on?" Sora asked.

"It's like I said. The GREATEST thing ever is happening! My buddy Al's getting hitched!" Genie cried. Kairi and Marta gasped.

"Aladdin? Getting married?" Goofy asked.

"OOH! Who's the lucky girl?" Marta squealed. Genie chuckled.

"No one else than the lovely Princess Jasmine of Agrabah! That's who! Hang on kids! We're going in for a landing!" Genie laughed. He slowly started to descend in the garden of the palace. Everyone climbed off the carpet and saw Aladdin pacing around.

"Aladdin. Hey there." Sora called. Aladdin glanced at Sora and chuckled.

"Sora? Hey! I didn't know you were coming." Aladdin said. Donald and Goofy waved as Aladdin walked over.

"Congratulations Aladdin. We heard about you being married." Emil said. Aladdin smirked and started blushing.

"Yeah. Well, it's a big deal for me. Just think Sora. When we first met, I was a lowly street rat. But now...look at me. I'm about to marry the most beautiful woman in all of Agrabah." Aladdin said. Sora nodded, having a feeling they would eventually.

"You have our best wishes for a happy future Aladdin. I hope you two live happily together." Kairi said. Nearby, Sora and the others saw Abu climb over the fence and scurry to Aladdin's shoulder. Rahjah was sleeping as well.

"So, where is Jasmine?" Sora asked.

"She's getting ready. I'm sure she's nervous too. But, enough of that. Why the visit?" Aladdin asked.

"Oh. Right." Sora said. Seifer approached Aladdin.

"I doubt you know about this...but they say "Heartless" are starting to cause ruckus again." Seifer said. Sora groaned, saying he was gonna say that. Seifer huffed.

"Heartless? Oh geez. Not now." Aladdin said.

"Don't worry Aladdin. That's why we're here." Sora said.

"Yeah. We'll make sure this is the happiest day of your life...kind of like the day I wait for." Marta said, holding onto Emil's arm. Emil started to blush.

"Uhhh...Marta? Why are you looking at me like that? Heh heh. Come on. Cut it out." Emil stuttered. Kairi and Sora looked at each other and then looked away blushing.

"Well, are we gonna go inside or what?" Auron asked.

"You guys go on in. I got a few preparations to make. You can go see the Sultan. He's in the palace chapel, making sure everything's set." Aladdin said. Genie nodded and flew inside, leaving the others to walk into the palace. As they entered the chapel, everyone got a good look around.

"What a fancy little place they've got here." Auron said.

"Fancy? It's beautiful." Marta said. Seifer just glanced and huffed. Donald saw a short man in a turban shouting orders and checking around the chapel. He was the Sultan.

"Excuse me sir? Where can we find the Sultan? Our friend Aladdin said he was in here." Sora asked. The Sultan turned to face Sora and chuckled.

"Oh. My dear boy. I'm the Sultan. Ehh...did you say you're friends of Aladdin?" he asked. Sora nodded.

"Yep. We're good friends all right." Goofy chuckled.

"Well, the more the merrier. I guess you heard of the wedding today. Oh, my daugter Jasmine has been looking forward to this day for months. Eh...oh." the Sultan said. He spotted Sora's Keyblade in his hands.

"My word. That must be...the Keyblade that Aladdin mentioned to me so many times. That must mean you're Sora." he said. Sora nodded. Donald and Goofy said they helped him too.

"It's finally nice to meet you Sora. I want to thank you for saving my daughter Jasmine from that traitor Jafar. You are a real hero around here." the Sultan said. Sora chuckled.

"Well, thank you very much sir. Is it okay if we say hello to Jasmine?" Sora asked. The Sultan said they could visit, but to make sure they knocked first. Sora chuckled and said they would. As they left, they heard the sound of gold being knocked around. They looked and saw Iago.

"Ha ha! Look at all of these wedding gifts! I'm ROLLING in the dough now!" Iago laughed. Suddenly, the small parrot looked up and saw Sora.

"Ack! Sora!" Iago squawked.

"Hey there Iago. Glad to see YOU'RE the same as ever too." Sora said. Iago chuckled nervously and flew up to Sora's shoulder.

"Well, I've been a good little birdie since ya left...honest!" Iago squawked. Donald eyed all the presents brought to the wedding. Auron had a feeling he was getting greedy and dragged the duck back.

"All right. If you say you're a good bird, I believe you." Sora said. Iago joined Sora in going to see Jasmine, wondering what's been keeping her. They walked through the palace and eventually found the door to Jasmine's room. Sora gave a light knock.

"Uhhh...Jasmine? It's us. Sora, Donald and Goofy." Sora said. The door opened and there stood Jasmine, wearing her white wedding gown.

"Sora? It is you. It's great to see you again." Jasmine said. Sora told Jasmine that he was able to find his friends and introduced Kairi to Jasmine.

"Hello Jasmine. I'm Kairi, Sora's friend. Congratulations on your marriage." Kairi said. Jasmine chuckled.

"Thank you. Oh, I've been so anxious. I waited so long for this day to come." she said. Marta asked what it felt like to know she would marry the boy of her dreams, glancing at Emil shortly after.

"Oy. Not THAT again. Don't ya give it a rest? We KNOW you like Emil! So cut it out!" Seifer shouted. Marta gasped and started to pout.

"Maybe it'd be an attitude adjustment if YOU knew what love felt like you heartless grump!" Marta exclaimed. Jasmine chuckled.

"They're your friends too Sora?" she asked. Sora looked at Seifer and Marta.

"Yeah. The younger girl is, the big lug? Eh...not so much." Sora teased. Seifer glared at him.

"What did you call me?" Seifer asked. Jasmine chuckled.

"Well, I better finish getting ready. I hope you'll stay for the wedding." Jasmine said. Sora nodded and said they wouldn't miss it. After that, Sora and his friends decided to hang around the palace until it came time for the actual wedding to begin. Everyone attending gathered together in the chapel as Aladdin was standing at the altar with the Sultan.

"This is going to be fun. I never been to an actual wedding before." Emil said. Goofy chuckled.

"What's so funny Goofy?" Sora asked.

"Oh, it's nothing Sora." Goofy said, chuckling again. Sora and Donald looked at each other and shrugged. Just then, they saw Jasmine walking up the aisle towards Aladdin. In her hands was a small boquet of flowers and she looked at Aladdin with a smile. He looked down at her and smiled as well. The two were soon standing together at the altar also. However, something else was in the chapel. No one could see, but a Shadow Heartless was scurrying across the ground.

"Say, why aren't there any Heartless yet? Surely one should've been here. Isn't that what Cid sent us out here for?" Auron asked.

"Maybe he just figured we've been to Agrabah and wanted to give us a day off." Sora whispered. But just then, Sora saw the Shadow on the ground.

"Oh man. Now?" he thought. The Shadow was creeping towards the altar, not being spotted by anyone. Sora had to do something. It seemed it was after Jasmine.

"Princess! Look out!" Sora shouted. He casted Thunder and zapped the Heartless as it popped up. But as soon as Sora did, more Heartless started to appear in the chapel. The other patrons screamed and fled.

"Oh no! Not now!" Jasmine thought.

"D'oh! Stupid Heartless! You're ruining their happy day!" Marta exclaimed. Boiling over, Marta grabbed her spinner and lunged for the nearest Heartless and started slashing at it. The others drew their weapons.

"Aladdin! Get Jasmine out of here! We'll keep these things busy." Sora said. Aladdin nodded and led Jasmine quickly out of the chapel. The Sultan was close by, looking back once more at the Heartless surrounding them.

"C'mon! You maggots want some?" Seifer asked. The Heartless began their attack, but Sora and the others fought back as hard as they could. With each hit, Heartless was sent flying everywhere. They were mostly small Soldiers, Icy Cubes and Large Body.

"You guys picked the wrong day to invade this castle!" Auron shouted. Without much of a hassle, Sora and his friends were able to defeat the Heartless and save the chapel from being destroyed.

"There. I think that's all of them." Sora panted. Kairi looked around.

"Where did...they come from? It all seemed so sudden." Kairi asked. Outside the palace, a man in a dark cloak peered in before walking away.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	22. Ch 80: Secret in the Sands

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 80: Secret in the Sands_**

At the palace in Agrabah, the wedding was forced to be put on hold after the Heartless scare. Sora and the others did a thorough check of the palace, finding a few gangs of Heartless scurrying around. But thankfully, Sora's team was able to dispatch them and drive the Heartless away.

"All right. That's the last one." Auron said.

"Where did these Heartless come from? We never saw any when we arrived." Emil said. Seifer glared around.

"Someone has to be controlling them." Sora said, approaching the group.

"But what we don't know is who. Who would want to stop the wedding?" Kairi asked. Everyone paused for thought, but no one was getting any ideas as to who the Heartless mastermind was.

"Whoever it is....they're in big trouble for ruining this wedding!" Marta groaned. Aladdin corrected Marta by saying this was the second time their wedding had to be postponed.

"Second? What happened the first time?" Goofy asked. Aladdin sighed and said it was because the Forty Thieves attacked.

"The Forty thieves? What do they have to do with the Heartless?" Emil asked. Marta and Seifer sighed.

"I don't think they're involved Emil. A while back, they attacked our wedding in hopes of getting something. We were able to drive them away before and we were going to try starting the wedding again when you guys showed up." Aladdin said. Sora asked if he ever found who the leader of the Forty Thieves was before. Aladdin sighed.

"Unfortunately, I did. He's my father." Aladdin said. Sora and the others gasped.

"Your dad is the leader of the Forty Thieves?! Then they HAVE to be behind this!" Donald squawked before Sora shushed him by clamping his bill shut.

"No. My dad wouldn't do anything like this. Still, I think I know someone who WOULD." Aladdin said. As Aladdin paused to think of his name, we switch to a dark cave somewhere on the outskirts of Agrabah. Entering was the cloaked man observing the attack on the palace, revealing himself as Sa'luk. And also with Sa'luk was Aladdin's father tied up in ropes.

"Sa'luk! You'll never get away with this you....you traitor!" Cassim exclaimed. But Sa'luk took one glare and huffed.

"Save your breath Mister Thief. You'll need it." a voice said. Cassim looked back and saw someone appear from the shadows. The man was Kuja, another member of the Legion of Chaos. It appeared he and Sa'luk were allies.

"You think it was wise to attack the palace with those Heartless? The boy is sure to catch onto us now." Sa'luk said. Kuja chuckled.

"Oh don't worry. I don't want Aladdin. I'm just bringing him to us so you can get even. All I want is the key bearer." Kuja said. Sa'luk groaned.

"I still don't see what the big deal about that kid is. I saw him when I spied on the wedding and he didn't look like the kind that could beat anyone." Sa'luk said. Kuja quickly told Sa'luk not to judge a Keyblade wielder so quickly. Sa'luk huffed.

"Whatever. If it means getting back at that street rat Aladdin and finding what's mine, I'll take that little twerp on and destroy him." Sa'luk said. Kuja smirked, calling Sa'luk a "good boy" and tossing something to him. It was wrapped in bandages and when Sa'luk unraveled it, it was the Oracle.

"A bargain is a bargain. You help me lure that Keyblader and his friends to me and you get that reward I promised." Kuja said. Cassim gasped.

"No. It can't be. That's....That's the Oracle!" Cassim gasped. Sa'luk snickered.

"Excellent. With this in my possession, the Hand of Midas will finally be mine!" Sa'luk laughed. But as Sa'luk boastfully laughed, Cassim was busy secretly cutting through the ropes tieing him up. Back in Agrabah, Aladdin and Sora were heading out for the desert with Carpet, Abu, Genie and Iago close behind. Kairi stayed behind at the palace to watch over Jasime, as did Marta. So now traveling with Sora was Donald, Goofy, Emil, Auron and Seifer.

"I hope the girls will be all right. What if the Heartless return to the palace?" Emil asked.

"If they do come back, they'll be in trouble. Kairi's no pushover." Sora said. Genie chuckled as he soared through the sky.

"I'm guessing you don't get out much?" Seifer asked, looking up at Genie.

"Nah. Not that. It's been boring around Agrabah since you last came Sora. Now that all this excitement is happening, I feel pumped and raring to go!" Genie exclaimed. Sora chuckled, glad to see Genie still enjoyed his company. Aladdin chuckled as well.

"Well, I think I have an idea where we can find our wedding trasher. We're not that far from where their cave is." Aladdin said. Sora asked again who Aladdin thought the wedding crasher was.

"It's gotta be Sa'luk. He's a member of the Forty Thieves and as far as I could tell, he and my dad don't get along." Aladdin said.

"Well, if this is gonna get messy, keep me OUT of it." Iago said. Aladdin smirked and nodded. The group dashed across the vast desert, getting assistance from Genie and Carpet along the way. Eventually, they made it to the Forty Thieves' hideout.

"Here we are. This is where I found my dad last time." Aladdin said. The others looked on at the doorway before them.

"So what do we do? Take the front door and just waltz in?" Auron asked. Sora shook his head, thinking that the Heartless would be waiting for them.

"But what about this Sa'luk guy? He might be in there." Goofy asked. Sora groaned.

"Let's just go in. If we have to face Sa'luk, we will." Seifer said. Sora sighed and figured that it had to be. But as they entered, they could hear Kuja's laugh echoing the cavern.

"Hey. Who's there?" Donald called. Suddenly, a bright light flashed and it caused everyone to pass out. When they awoke, they found themselves deep within the lair of the Forty Thieves.

"What? Where are we?" Emil asked. Sora looked around.

"Guess someone brought us here. This has to be the cave we found earlier." Sora said. Suddenly, they heard the same laugh again.

"There it is again. All right. Who's here?" Auron asked, drawing his sword. Seifer looked around until he saw Kuja up above.

"Up there!" Seifer called. Everyone looked up at the floating Kuja.

"Hello my friends. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kuja, but you can know me better as a member of the Legion of Chaos." Kuja chuckled. Sora groaned.

"Geez. How many of them are there?" Emil asked, remembering Cloud of Darkness. Kuja twirled a bit of his hair.

"So I suppose you're going to ask why I'm here. Right? Well, it's all apart of our groups master objective. Together, we will ressurect the great and powerful evil that is Chaos." Kuja smirked. Sora and the others looked on.

"Chaos? Who's Chaos?" Sora asked. Kuja groaned.

"Oh forget it. I had a feeling little monkeys like you wouldn't understand." Kuja said. Donald squawked angrily.

"Who are you calling a monkey?!" Donald exclaimed, held back by Goofy. Kuja smirked and snapped his fingers. Behind him, a large rock carving began to move and groan. The others yelled at the mere sight of the giant. On its chest was the mark of the Heartless.

"It's....It's a Heartless!" Sora exclaimed. Kuja chuckled and started to glow red. In a flash, he transformed himself into Trance Kuja.

"If you think I'm like Kefka, the Cloud of Darkness or the Emperor, you're sadly mistaken. I know about your capabilities Keyblade wielder and I'm not holding anything back! It's time for you to disappear!" Kuja exclaimed. He flew behind the Heartless as its giant palm came crashing down near Sora and the others. Aladdin groaned.

"Son!" a voice called. Aladdin looked back and saw Cassim.

"Dad?! You're here?!" Aladdin shouted. But Cassim told him to look out as the Heartless attacked again. Sora tried attacking, but its rock body was impossible to break through.

"Dang it!" he groaned before the Heartless swatted him away. Auron and Seifer attacked next, but they too could not pierce the rock and were swatted away. Kuja laughed.

"Insignificant worms. I see you really are nothing but pitiful monkeys." Kuja said. Sora groaned.

"Oh yeah?! I'll show you pitiful!" Sora called. He remembered his summon item from Jumba and used it. This time, he summoned Experiment 513, known as Richter. The small alien glared at the Heartless.

"So....what does HE do?" Seifer asked. Richter saw the Heartless coming at him but grunted and slapped his tail hard on the cave floor. The result caused a powerful earthquake.

"Wh....What the?!" Kuja gasped. The quake shook the Heartless and it tumbled over. A large crack broke open the plate on its chest, showing a glass jewel holding a heart.

"There's the weak spot!" Donald squawked. Sora climed onto the Heartless' leg and dashed up towards the chest with Donald and Goofy. Kuja groaned.

"Don't forget about me key bearer!" Kuja called. He fired a fire blast at Sora and nearly knocked him off. But luckily, Auron dashed up and reflected the spell with his sword and gave Sora a clear run to the Heartless' chest.

"Heh. You wanna try again? I'm always ready for a good fight." Auron said. Kuja growled.

"Don't test my patience monkey!" Kuja called. He started to charge up a Flare Star attack and targeted Auron. But Emil awoke Ratatosk's power and lunged up at him.

"What is this?!" Kuja gasped. He only saw a quick glimpse of Emil's red eyes before he used Havoc Strike and grounded Kuja by driving him into the ground. Sora and the others hacked away at the Heartless while Kuja groaned and rose up from Emil's attack.

"Such power....doh. What is he? How can a simple child DO that?!" Kuja groaned. He saw Emil charging up another attack. But this one was a larger attack.

"Take this! Ain Soph Aur!" Emil roared. His attack came rushing towards Kuja and caused a massive impact.

"Guh! Impossible!" Kuja groaned. He flew back and crashed into the Heartless. But as the others were quick to cheer, Kuja showed little signs of giving up.

"How DARE you! You think you can harm me in such a manner?! I am superior to your worms! I will NOT be defeated by the likes of you! If I will not exist in this world one day, then I shall see to it that you all go with me!" Kuja exclaimed. He growled and started to charge another attack.

"What....What's he doing?!" Sora called. Auron gasped. He recognized that the attack Kuja was about to use was Ultima.

**_TO BE CONTINUED...  
_**


	23. Ch 81: A Foolish Folly

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 81: A Foolish Folly_**

Sora and the others only watched as Kuja prepared to cast his most deadliest spell of all, Ultima. He laughed as he eyed Sora's group.

"Now all of you are finished! There's no chance you'll survive this next attack! I'll finally rid you and we shall complete our goal! Time to DIE Keyblade wielder!" Kuja exclaimed. When it was complete, Kuja unleashed Ultima in a giant flash of red. The skies above them lit up from the attack.

"Wak! What are we gonna do?" Donald squawked. Goofy gasped and ducked under his shield. Aladdin and his father were stunned by the size of Kuja's attack.

"Come on! Don't think this is over! It's not!" Seifer shouted. He drew his blade and came charging. He leaped up as high as possible and prepared to swing. But Kuja avoided and kicked Seifer down to the ground. Kuja laughed.

"You monkeys can't hope but win now! What will you do?" Kuja laughed. Suddenly, Kairi bravely faced Kuja.

"Hmm? Hey. What's with that look on your face?" Kuja asked. Sora quickly saw Kairi starting to glow.

"You won't stop us Kuja! We're not giving up until our journey is finished! And you WON'T get in the way!" Kairi shouted. Kuja gasped, seeing Kairi glowing brighter and brighter.

"As Princess of Kingdom Hearts, I won't allow it!" Kairi exclaimed. Suddenly, she pointed her Keyblade at Kuja and a powerful blast came racing out of it. It headed straight for him, Kuja was unable to get away.

"No! No! NO!" Kuja yelled, being consumed by the attack. Kuja screamed as the blast sent him flying backwards and surpressed against a wall. Emil and Marta were stunned beyond words.

"No! I can't be beaten by.....a child like....you! IMPOSSIBLE!" Kuja exclaimed. He suddenly evaporated into darkness and a heart was seen flying away. This signaled the end of Kuja as Kairi's attack stopped and she dropped to her knees.

"Ah! Kairi!" Sora cried. He quickly caught her and helped Kairi up.

"Sora? Did I.....Did I get him?" Kairi asked. Sora chuckled and nodded.

"You SURE got him all right." Auron added. Seifer couldn't resist nodding as well, stunned beyond words. Kairi giggled quietly as Sora helped her regain balance. But now, watching from the roof of the room was Ultimecia and Kefka.

"Well, guess that just leaves you and me Ultimecia. So, what do we do now?" Kefka asked. Ultimecia groaned.

"We are behind on schedule. Our plan must act now. Come. Return to Radiant Gardens." Ultimecia said. Kefka chuckled.

"Ooh! About time! We get to blow something up! How delicious!" Kefka cackled, warping back with Ultimecia. With Kuja down, Sora and the others hurried outside of the thieve's lair.

"All right. Glad that's over with." Seifer said. But Cassim said this battle was not over yet. Aladdin asked what he meant.

"It's Sa'luk. He's alive AND he's going after the Hand of Midas. We CAN'T let him get it!"Cassim groaned. Sora had a feeling about that and nodded.

"Yeah. We still have to hunt down and stop Sa'luk. But....which way did he go?" Sora thought. Suddenly, they saw something flying their way. It was Carpet.

"What the? A flying carpet?" Emil asked. It landed by Marta's feet and stood up.

"A LIVING flying carpet." Marta added. Aladdin chuckled.

"Carpet! Good to see you pal. What's up?" Aladdin asked. Carpet started pointing towards the west and waved its arms. Genie observed everything.

"Oh boy. Carpet says he saw our guy heading west. I think it's Sa'luk." Genie said. Cassim groaned.

"Then come on! Let's get this guy!" Seifer yelled. Sora nodded and as Carpet flew off with Aladdin and his dad, Genie became an airplane and took Sora's group. Genie laughed.

"Next stop.....who knows where!" Genie cried out. Meanwhile, far out in the sea from Agrabah, Sa'luk has just arrived at the sight of ancient ruins, harbored on the back of a giant turtle. Sa'luk looked around and huffed. With a snap of his fingers, Heartless appeared.

"Come Heartless. We have treasure to collect." Sa'luk said as he strolled ahead inside. By the time Sora and the others arrived, Sa'luk had already gone inside.

"Whoa! This place.....is huge!" Marta exclaimed. Auron looked down below them.

"Anyone else but me realize we're on the back of a giant turtle?" Auron asked. The others looked over the edge to see the turtle's head.

"This is amazing. I bet Raine would really have loved coming here." Emil said. Seifer glared on at the opening of the ruins.

"No time for that now. Betcha anything that the dude we're after went inside." Seifer said, pointing to the door. Cassim nodded.

"So what's this thing Sa'luk is after?" Goofy nodded.

"It's the Hand of Midas. It's a powerful magical item that can turn anything the hand touches to solid gold. That fool Sa'luk. He must NOT get his hands on it." Cassim said. Aladdin approached his father and patted his back.

"Don't worry. We'll stop him. C'mon guys!" Al called. Sora nodded and the group charged ahead inside. But waiting inside were Heartless.

"Heartless? Great! Sa'luk must be controlling them!" Sora groaned. Donald squawked.

"Out of our way!" Donald exclaimed. He casted Blizzard and blew the Heartless back. Seifer and Auron lunged for the group. Seifer then looked back and told Sora to get going. Sora nodded.

"Be careful you two!" Emil called. As they hurried on ahead, more Heartless came out to fight. Seifer and Auron huffed.

"Let's dance Heartless." Auron muttered. They charged for the Heartless and started to attack, swinging their swords at each of them. Sora and the others hurried down the hall until they came into a giant chamber deep within the ruins. They saw a floating gold hand in the center, as well as Sa'luk about to climb on it.

"There he is!" Cassim exclaimed. Sa'luk looked down and gasped, spotting Sora's group.

"What? How did you find me?" Sa'luk yelled. Sora smirked.

"You'd be surprised how helpful a magic carpet with a sense of direction is." Sora said. Donald and Goofy chuckled as Sa'luk growled. He then snapped his fingers again. From below, the pool of water in the pit started to bubble.

"What's happening?" Kairi asked. Sora gasped, seeing a pair of red eyes.

"Heartless! Look out!" Sora exclaimed. They jumped back as a giant serpent Heartless came rising from the water. The serpent hissed, expanding two giant blue gills and roared. The Heartless emblem was on its chest.

"Go my mighty beast! Destroy these meddlesome pests!" Sa'luk yelled. The Heartless roared and lunged for Sora. But Sora quickly activated Atlas' artifact and gained his blade, delivering a powerful blow to the monster's jaw.

"I'm NOT on the menu Heartless!" Sora called. Sa'luk growled and looked ahead of him, spotting the Hand of Midas.

"Sa'luk! Stop this NOW! You have no idea what that artifact can do in the wrong hands!" Cassim exclaimed. But his pleas were cut short by the Heartless attacking again. It snapped its giant jaws and almost chomped down on Goofy and Donald.

"Come on! You wanna fight?" Kairi yelled. The Heartless glared at her and roared, lunging for her.

"Elisa! Help me!" Kairi called. She triggered Elisa's charm and gained her Keyblade. She then quickly flipped backwards, avoiding the Heartless. The Heartless' teeth were trapped in the sheer rock, looking on as Kairi attacked. The blade stabbed the Heartless directly in the eye, causing it to roar in pain.

"Oh boy! I don't think it liked that!" Marta cried. The roar could be heard echoing the ruins, even heard by Auron and Seifer. Sa'luk jumped onto the hand and chuckled, approaching the Hand of Midas.

"At last....the Hand is MINE!" Sa'luk laughed. But just as he was about to touch it, Sora's Keyblade struck the Heartless with a powerful strike and knocked its head upward. It slammed into the giant hand and rattled Sa'luk and the Hand. It fell over and, unfortunately, Sa'luk grabbed it.

"Ha ha! Yes! I have it! I have.....what?" Sa'luk exclaimed. He saw when he grabbed the hand, he was touching the gold hand. His hand started to turn gold until it spread up his arm.

"No! No! This isn't possible! I finally had it! I.....NO!" Sa'luk exclaimed. The Heartless roared and prepared to strike again, but stopped when it sensed the darkness in Sa'luk's heart. It roared and suddenly lunged up for him. Sa'luk saw it from the corner of his eye.

"What? No! Don't you think about it! Get away! I am your MASTER!" Sa'luk cowered. But the giant Heartless opened its jaws and Sa'luk screamed. Its giant body knocked down the floating hand and sent Sa'luk, the Heartless and the Hand of Midas plummeting down below. Sora and the others watched as Sa'luk and the hand were devoured by the Heartless, turning its serpent pure gold and sinking it below the sea.

"I guess....that's that." Marta said. With the Heartless and Sa'luk permamently sunk, Sora's group returned to Agrabah and the wedding went on just as planned. Sora and his friends sat with the others and watched as the Sultan brought together Aladdin and Jasmine's lives forever.

"Good for them." Kairi said. Marta giggled and hugged onto Emil.

"I can't wait for OUR wedding Emil." Marta said. Emil chuckled and blushed bright red. Sora watched Emil and quietly smiled, glaring at Kairi shortly after.

"I wonder.....if we would....." Sora thought. Shortly after the wedding, Sora wanted to talk with Aladdin about the possibility of him lending his support to finish the Heartless with his team.

"Uhh...I dunno Sora. Jasmine and I have been waiting for this wedding for a long time now. And now that it happened...." Al explained. But he heard someone approaching and looked back, seeing Jasmine.

"Aladdin. Sora and his friends have done so much for us, I think its time we return the favor. Don't you think?" Jasmine asked. But when Aladdin asked if she would be fine, she chuckled.

"Yes. I'll be all right. Sora needs you Aladdin. Go." Jasmine said. Aladdin smiled and turned back to Sora.

"Sora? Count me in." Aladdin said. Sora smiled and shook Al's hand. Just then, a light began to glow outside the palace. Everyone looked out the window to see a keyhole in the city streets.

"Wow. So THAT'S a keyhole?" Auron asked. Sora raised his Keyblade and the key's light fired into the sky, sealing the keyhole in a shower of light. Sora then looked around.

"What's wrong Sora?" Goofy asked.

"I thought we would've seen the ancient Keyblader of this world by now. Ugh. I bet that knight has it by now." Sora said. Seifer approached Sora.

"If he does, we'll go and get it back." Seifer said. Sora glanced at him and nodded, knowing Seifer was right.

"Well, shall we go then?" Kairi asked. Everyone nodded and the city of Agrabah bid Sora and friends goodbye as they left in the Gummi Ship. But with them now was Aladdin and Genie, wanting to see more adventures.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	24. Ch 82: War at Radiant Gardens  Part 1

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 82: War at Radiant Gardens - Part 1_**

Sora and the others were continuing through space towards Radiant Gardens, having successfully saved Agrabah from the threat of the Heartless. On board, Aladdin and Genie were looking out the window at all the stars.

"WOW! Hey Al! Look at that! Who knew space was this big?" Genie asked. Sora chuckled.

"Well, this is a first. I wonder what kind of excitement awaits us now." Aladdin said. Auron huffed. Suddenly, Donald was getting a radio message from Cid at the committee center.

"Sora? Phew. Thank goodness. You guys are back." Cid said. Sora glanced at Cid's face on the monitor.

"Yeah Cid? What's up?" Sora asked. Cid groaned, glancing behind him.

"Listen. I don't wana rush you guys. But we could REALLY use your help back home here. Ya see, the thing is...what the?" Cid yelled. The signal was suddenly cut as fighting sounds was heard. Then there was nothing but static.

"Cid? CID!" Sora yelled. The others gasped.

"Oh man! What's happening?" Kairi asked.

"Is Cid all right? What's going on down there?" Marta asked. Sora groaned.

"Hang on guys. We're putting this Gummi Ship into overdrive!" Sora yelled. With his help, the ship started to rocket faster towards Radiant Gardens and soon was within the world's atmosphere. But as the ship started to land, the sight outside scared them.

"No way..." Sora muttered.

"What in the world?" Seifer asked. Down below, all of Radiant Gardens was engulfed in a wildfire and Heartless were ransacking the city. People ran in fear and screams were heard.

"What's going on down there? Are those...Heartless?" Goofy yelled. Sora groaned and quickly brought the ship down in the center of town before jumping out with his friends. Around them, Heartless soon noticed Sora and the others arriving and squealed at him.

"It's a Heartless ambush! Look at them all!" Sora yelled. Surrounding them were Heartless such as Neoshadow, Wyvern, Soldier and many others.

"Where did they all come from?" Donald squawked. Up high on a perch above the city, looking down at the mass Heartless wave was none other than Ultimecia herself. She chuckled quietly as she observed Sora being surrounded.

"Well Sora, I guess my turn has finally come. You and your friends may have beaten the rest of the Legion of Chaos...but I don't think you'll be beating ME anytime soon." Ultimecia said. She waved her hand, giving the Heartless the cue to attack.

"Here they come!" Kairi yelled. The Heartless started to attack Sora and the others, lunging from all sides. But the group was able to fight back and drive the Heartless away, clearing a path.

"Come on! We gotta find the others! They could be in danger!" Sora yelled. The others nodded and chased after Sora.

"I don't get it! We weren't gone long. So how did all these Heartless get here?" Seifer groaned. They darted through the city streets, saving what many people they could from the oncoming Heartless attacks. Though the attacks seemed endless, Sora and the others were able to make it all the way to their team base and found most of the team barricaded inside.

"Sora! You're back!" Genis exclaimed. Raine sighed.

"Thank goodness. We got worried when you hadn't returned yet." Raine said. Riku approached Sora and told him they'd been fighting like this for at least two hours now. Donald looked outside.

"But Riku...where did the Heartless come from?" Kairi asked. Axel, sitting nearby, gave a heavy sigh.

"Believe me Kairi. I wish any of us had any ideas of how to answer you. We don't know." Axel said.

"None of us have seen any signs hinting this being the work of Vanitas or the Dark Knight. So we can only assume it's the Legion of Chaos." Ventus added. Aqua nodded.

"But...you think this could be, like, a final battle scenario? Maybe there's only one member left and he or she is going full throttle." Zelos suggested. Sora gleamed out the window at the Heartless still crawling around outside.

"Well, whoever it is, they're not gonna get away with this." Sora said. He firmly grasped his Keyblade and began to turn to the door. He took one last glance and told his friends that if they would help, this would be their biggest battle yet. But the others only nodded.

"Sora...we came together as a group because of you. We're always ready to fight." Mickey said. The others smirked.

"All right then. Come on guys! Time for a Heartless round up!" Sora cried. The others cheered also and joined Sora in charging outside. Meanwhile, deep within the Great Maw, the rest of the Restoration Committee was already fighting. Cloud and Leon stood back to back.

"Well, seems only a year ago that we were in a similar mess. Eh Leon?" Cloud asked. Leon huffed.

"Yeah. But this time...we've gotten stronger than last time. So these Heartless don't stand a chance." Leon said. Cloud merely nodded and joined Leon in attacking the approaching Heartless. Further up, Rinoa and the Gullwings were fending off a group of Large Body Heartless before being pushed towards the cliffside.

"Oh man. This ain't looking too good." Rikku muttered. Paine groaned.

"Annoying Heartless." she said. Yuna drew her guns.

"Come on Gullwings! We're not cowards! We can take 'em!" Yuna called. But suddenly, Rinoa stepped forward.

"Leave these to me." Rinoa said. On her back, the girls saw two angel wings appear and quickly grow. They gave off a giant flash and turned into real angel wings.

"No...way!" Rikku gawked. Rinoa looked down at the Heartless and started to chant a spell. It became a glowing red sphere forming in her hands. She was casting Meltdown and fired it towards the Heartless, instantly blowing them away in one shot.

"Holy cow! She's...She's unnatural!" Rikku yelled. Even Paine was utterly shocked. Back in town, Sora and the others were fighting the Heartless sprouting up in town. All the while, Ultimecia continued to watch.

"Yes Sora. Keep fighting. Keep fighting...so you can FUEL me." Ultimecia said. She reached under her coat and took out a small jewel. It glowed pitch black and it was glowing darker the more Sora attacked the Heartless.

"The more Heartless you slay, I get the excess darkness with this special gemstone. And once I have enough, it will amplify my magical powers so much that I can do ANYTHING." she thought. But suddenly, she saw Sora slayed a Neoshadow before he spotted her.

"Huh? Hey! Who are you?" Sora yelled. Ultimecia groaned and summoned a dark corridor. But just as she was about to enter it, she found herself under attack from someone. Sora gasped.

"Wha...What the?" Sora yelled. Though she shielded herself with a barrier, the one who attacked her was Vantias.

"V...Vanitas!" Sora yelled. Vanitas and Ultimecia eyed one another.

"You? What do you want?" Ultimecia asked. Vanitas huffed.

"What do I want? Huh. You should know." Vanitas said. Suddenly, he stepped back and swung his Keyblade with a powerful vertical swing. It pierced her barrier and struck her. She yelled in pain and the jewel she had around her came flying off and Vanitas caught it.

"I wanted THIS back." Vanitas said "You should know better than to steal." Ultimecia panted and clutched her chest.

"You...curse you!" Ultimecia growled. She then started to stumble into the corridor and left without a trace. Vanitas looked at Sora.

"If you want her, Ultimecia, she went to the Dark Depths. I only came for this." Vanitas said. He then opened a dark portal beneath him and vanished into it. Sora groaned when he noticed Leon arriving.

"Sora. I'm glad I got here in time. Cloud and I were out at the maw trying to repel Heartless. Are you all right?" Leon asked. Sora nodded, mentioning Ultimecia and Vanitas appearing shortly after and what the villain said.

"Ugh. She's THAT deep in the maw? If I knew that sooner, I would've stayed down there. But...more importantly, Sora. I think we found a double agent in your team." Leon said. Sora gasped.

"What? You mean...someone's been spying on us?" Sora yelled. Leon nodded. And it only made matters worse when Leon whispered the traitor's name in his ear.

"P...PETE?" Sora yelled. Donald and Goofy quickly heard Sora as well.

"Pete? He's a traitor?" Donald squawked. That really ruffled Donald's feathers.

"We first noticed it when Pete was nowhere around the base or in town when the Heartless first appeared. Sorry Sora. But it looks like that fatso was nothing than a fraud." Leon said. Sora groaned, clutching his blade.

"Pete. D'oh. When I find that overstuffed liar, he's...he's...he's finished!" Sora growled. He remembered Vanitas mentioning the Dark Depths and started to head in that direction. Donald, Goofy, Leon and the king tailed behind.

"Sora! Wait up!" Mickey called. Later, down at the Depths, Ultimecia appeared from her dark portal and stumbled to the edge.

"That...That vile little brat. How DARE he...do that to...me." Ultimecia groaned. Nearby, emerging from the shadows, was Pete. But instead of looking like the confident, smug self he was before, he seemed rather worried.

"Uhhh...hey there...Ulti. Listen. Funny thing. I think...my cover's finally been blown. So uhh..." Pete said. He soon started to creep away. But as he was doing that, he didn't see Sora and the others entering the depths. Pete gasped.

"Pete! There you are!" Sora shouted.

"Dah! Kid! Wait! It's...It's...It ain't what'cha think it is!" Pete yelled. But Sora growled.

"Don't try and lie to me Pete! You lied to us! You lied to us from the start!" Sora shouted. Mickey walked to Sora's side, causing Pete to flinch from fright.

"I thought you finally went straight Pete. But now I see you'll never changed." Mickey said. Suddenly, everyone heard a cackling laugh echoing across the land.

"Wak! What's that?" Donald squawked. Sora's eyes widened.

"No. It...It can't be." Sora said. Ultimecia turned around slowly and grinned.

"Finally. My...partner...has arrived." Ultimecia said. A burning flame suddenly erupted and out from the flame, out stepped a vile woman in a black cloak and a horned headdress.

"Ma...Ma...Maleficent!" Sora's group exclaimed. Indeed, to their greatest worry, it was Maleficent.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Sora! We finally meet again! How long has it been?" Maleficent asked. Pete nervously chuckled.

"Uhhh...hey there Maleficent. How've ya been?" Pete asked. But Maleficent pointed his staff at him and silenced him quickly.

"Silence you fat imbecile. Just be grateful I don't wipe you out for abandoning me for the Keyblade bearer." Maleficent growled. That somehow caught Sora's ear as he looked at Pete.

"Wait. So...Pete WASN'T turning on us?" Sora asked. Pete chuckled.

"Well, ya see, Maleficent wanted me to keep quiet about her "living" status and...I was able to do that while with you all. But...after all we've been through..." Pete chuckled. Maleficent growled.

"I said SILENCE!" Maleficent yelled. She then glared at Sora.

"A long story short, I've been recouperating since our last meeting at that white castle. I was damaged very badly and needed time to recover. Now that I've recovered myself, I have come back to finish what I started and KILL you!" Maleficent shouted. She then started to laugh as Ultimecia stood up.

"So is THAT where the Legion of Chaos came from?" Leon asked. Ultimecia shook her head.

"Not quite. I don't have quite the dark powers to revive the king of evil Chaos all by myself. For agreeing to hide Maleficent, she's been giving me bits of her powers as she recovered." Ultimecia said. The two witches looked at each other.

"If you're trying to stop us, you are too late! Now...prepare to be obliterated before the might of our power!" Maleficent shouted. Using her staff, she planted it firmly in the ground below her and a dark flame ring suddenly erupted around her and Ultimecia.

"What...What's going on?" Sora yelled. The flame grew into a giant fire pillar and it was visable by everyone at the city.

"Holy cow! What is THAT?" Lilo shouted, pointing to the sky. The others looked and gasped.

"I don't like the sight of that." Presea said. Lloyd and Jack nodded. Inside the flaming pillar, something was beginning to happen. But suddenly, Sora saw a giant black claw erupting out from the pillar and crashed down on the ground. Also emerging from the pillar were two giant dragon wings and another claw. The pillar then shattered to reveal a giant dual headed dragon.

"What...What is that?" Donald asked. Pete shudded and quickly darted to Sora. The dragon appeared to be a freakish mutation between Maleficent's dragon state and Ultimecia's final form. Both heads snarled and roared.

"Now...PERISH!" the dragon roared, yelling in Ultimecia and Maleficent's voices. The force of the roar shook the field.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	25. Ch 83: War at Radiant Gardens  Part 2

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 83: War at Radiant Gardens - Part 2_**

The giant dragon eyed Sora and the others, showing signs of blood lust in its eyes. Sora clutched his Keyblade tightly in his grip and took a fighting stance.

"Come on Maleficent! Let's finish this fight once and for all!" Sora shouted. The dragon roared.

"Be careful what you wish for boy! You may not be able to SURVIVE!" the dragon exclaimed. It suddenly started to breath waves of fire and trapped everyone inside the flaming circle. Pete gasped.

"Whoa! Whoa! Maleficent! Take it easy there!" Pete shouted. But he started to flee as the dragon snapped its jaws at him. Mickey leaped up and dove for the second head, striking a clean blow to the head. But the strike seemed to have little effect as it swatted Mickey away.

"Take this! Thundaga!" Donald squawked. He casted a powerful lightning blast, but the dragon shook it off.

"Ha! That's all you've GOT?" Maleficent roared. Leon groaned.

"Let's see you take this ya scaly freak!" Leon shouted. Grasping his sword tightly, he built up power until the entire sword started to glow. He lunged for the dragon.

"Lion Heart!" Leon yelled. He went into a beserk of sword swings, striking the dragon ferociously and increasing damage with each swing. His finishing move slammed the dragon's heads into the ground and shook the entire cliff.

"Wha? Whoa!" Sora yelled. Donald grasped onto Goofy.

"Gawrsh! That must be Leon's real power!" Goofy yelled. In the smoke, Leon was suddenly swatted back and skidded across the dirt. The dragon rose up from the smoke.

"Dang it. That's...one tough old beast." Leon groaned. The dragon laughed in Ultimecia's voice.

"Though you beat me last time Squall, I shall not be beaten by you again!" the dragon laughed. Both dragon heads roared and up above, they saw giant flaming meteors hurdling their way.

"Look out! Meteors!" Pete exclaimed. Sora groaned and prepared to cast a spell with Donald.

"Donald! You ready?" Sora called. Donald nodded and hurried to his side. As the meteors approached, the two begun casting Gravity and it was able to catch the meteors and then fling some back at the dragon.

"Gah!" it roared.

"Ha! Not so fun when you're hit by your own attack! Is it?" Sora asked. But the dragon roared and started to breath fire again. Soon, the whole field was being burnt down by the fire and it surrounded them.

"Whoa! It's getting hot in here really fast!" Mickey called. Sora looked towards the dragon and groaned.

"Just think Sora...all of this destruction is thanks to you. You remember that crystal earlier? I didn't just get more power from Maleficent! With each Heartless you slayed, my dark crystal increased my dark powers by the strength of that Heartless. And with all you and your friends have done, we are INVINCIBLE!" the dragon laughed. Sora groaned.

"This is just like with Organization XIII. Only this time...she's FEEDING off the Heartless." Sora thought. The dragon then roared and suddenly, Sora's group was surrounded by Soldier and NeoShadow Heartless.

"Heartless! Devour their hearts!" the dragon roared. The Heartless heard the dragon's command, but they did not budge.

"What? What are you waiting for? Attack!" the dragon exclaimed. But then, it gasped when someone else approached from the cliffside. It was Vanitas.

"The Heartless obey ME now witch. You're nothing to them now." Vanitas said. He snapped his fingers and a few Unversed joined the group.

"Vanitas!" Sora called. Vanitas glared down at the others.

"Again Sora, I want the pleasure of killing you myself. So, just this ONCE, let's get this eye sore of a dragon a one way trip to the darkness." Vanitas said. Sora nodded.

"You can't! I won't let you! Your power is nothing against us! No darkness in the world can match my power!" the dragon roared. Vanitas huffed and called for his blade.

"We'll see about that." Vanitas said. He and Sora both charged for the dragon and began to attack. They went for a group assault on the left head while the others joined in the attack and struck the other head.

"Dagh! Rotten children! Begone!" the dragon growled. With a large roar, it blew the others back.

"Whoa! Man! She's one cranky dragon!" Leon groaned. He looked to Sora and Vanitas, who still were going into an attack. Vanitas' fast and powerful strikes were followed by Sora's swift combos and they pounded onto the dragon's head.

"You better survive now Sora. Because I want you all to myself when this is over." Vanitas thought, slightly glaring at Sora as they attacked. But suddenly, the dragon roared and it shook the field.

"Enough! You pesky cockroaches will not live to see light again!" it roared. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to glow bright red and a fiery wall surrounded them.

"Prepare to be sucked into darkness! This is the END for you ALL!" the dragon shrieked. Sora growled.

"Not on my watch!" Sora shouted "I'm not going to the darkness until I finish my mission! To protect the worlds and save the other Keyblade spirits!" The dragon laughed.

"You think you can survive this Sora? Don't be a fool!" the dragon exclaimed. Sora growled.

"I know we'll live on! Because our hearts...are always stronger than anything you can throw at us! And...if I must, I'll prove it!" Sora called. He then came charging towards the dragon. Leon and Vanitas started to join him, but Vanitas suddenly stopped.

"Some other time boy." Vanitas said, vanishing in a flash.

"You're right Sora! And I've got something else to say to you too Ultimecia! You're TOAST!" Leon cried. The two leaped up at the dragon and prepared to attack. As Leon's sword started to glow, so did Sora's. The keychains on their weapons began to glow and the two attacks suddenly started to merge.

"What? What is this?" the dragon gasped. Sora and Leon attacked simultaneously, creating a giant slice of light that slashed clean through the dragon.

"NOOOO!" it shrieked.

"Ultimate Lion!" Leon and Sora exclaimed. The strike split the giant in two and it caused both halves to stumble backwards and over the cliffside and into the deep cavern below.

"GEAAAHHHH!" the dragon roared. The Heartless continued to watch before jumping down after it. The others watched and heard the large impact when the dragon hit the ground.

"I think...it's finally over." Sora panted. The others joined Sora in creeping over to the edge. They all saw the large dragon corpse on the ground and sighed.

"Yeah. It's over." Leon said. In a flash, Sora and the others turned back to Pete, still cowering behind Goofy.

"C'mon kid! Don't be mad at me. Ya gotta believe me. If I didn't keep my yap shut, that crazy witch was gonna let me have it!" Pete begged. Sora looked at his friends.

"Well, it's your call Sora." Leon said. Sora groaned.

"All right Pete. Take it easy. I'll believe you. I wouldn't wanna work with Maleficent either." Sora said. Pete sighed.

"But starting today, you're not gonna keep anymore secrets, right?" Sora asked. Pete nodded.

"Oh! Thank you so much! I'm a good boy now! I promise!" Pete chuckled. Sora, Donald and Goofy sighed while Mickey chuckled. Later, everyone joined together again at the committee center.

"That had to be the biggest Heartless threat we had since the war last year." Cid groaned.

"Parts of town are in wrecks. It's gonna take us a while to repair it all." Rinoa added. Emil and Marta sighed, wishing they got here sooner. Ansem chuckled.

"It is all right. We've went through harsher times. And I'm sure we can recover from this as well." Ansem said. Leon nodded.

"Yeah. Ansem's right. Besides, we finally seen the last of the Legion of Chaos. We just finished off Ultimecia and I DOUBT she'll be back." Sora said. Richter smirked.

"Eh? What's that for?" Sora asked.

"Nothing. Just be glad you've got ONE problem off your platter. We still have that knight and Vanitas left now." Richter said. Lloyd nodded, agreeing with Richter.

"Heh. At this point, I think we can handle anything that crazy knight throws our way." Axel smirked. Roxas agreed and so did Ventus and Aqua. Meanwhile, outside the city, Vanitas looked on before slowly walking off. But just as he did, he stood face to face with the Dark Knight.

"They're gone. It's just you and me now." Vanitas said. The knight nodded and, strangely, the two started to walk off together. But nearby, another survivor was seen watching. It was Kefka.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	26. Ch 84: Castle Insanity

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 84: Castle Insanity_**

Later that week, exactly four days after Sora and friends defeated Ultimecia and Maleficent, Sora, Riku and Kairi returned to Destiny Islands to check up on Michael and the Keyblader Haven. Upon entering the giant shrine, their Keyblade souls with them appeared again.

"We are back. I had a feeling we would return to this place at one point." Elisa said. Atlas and the two twins nodded.

"I wonder what has happened since the incident that set us free." Wulf said. Sora and Kairi shrugged, saying they were about to find out. They entered the temple and headed down for the deep chambers, finding Michael.

"Hey Michael. LONG time no see." Sora said. Michael watched them enter and smiled.

"Hello again Sora. How has your adventure been going?" he asked. Sora smirked and pointed back to the Keyblader souls they recovered.

"Does this answer your question?" Riku asked. Michael chuckled.

"Wonderful. And I have also seen it for myself. You rescued Ventus and Aqua from beyond the darkness. Well done." Michael said. Sora then asked how Aqua and Ventus could've been in the Keyblader Haven if they were alive.

"Well, maybe since they were both trapped in darkness, their spirits were able to find their ways here." Kairi suggested. Sora paused for a moment and figured that had to be it.

"If you're concerned about us Michael, we have gone a long way to assist Sora in all that he has done. He is a powerful warrior." Atlas said. Phase, hiding quietly nearby, also nodded.

"Hmm. Excellent. By the way Sora, since I have you here, I think I should tell you something...about Kingdom Hearts." Michael said. Sora and the others gulped, figuring this was going to be important.

"Go ahead. We're all ears." Kairi said. Michael turned to face the three of them.

"After all the observing I have done over you and your friends, I might have discovered what the Dark Knight wants those Keyblader spirits for. He's trying to use their power and unlock the doorway to Kingdom Hearts." Michael said. Riku groaned.

"Can't there be ONE bad guy who doesn't wanna try that?" Riku asked.

"However, he cannot do that. Even with the number of Keyblader spirits he has right now, it takes the spirit of a true hero and a will of pure light in order to unlock the door. The doorway to the REAL Kingdom Hearts." Michael said. Sora gasped, having memory flashbacks of his fights against Xehanort's Heartless and Xemnas.

"Up until now Sora, Kingdom Hearts has remained hidden to your eyes and to your friends. Those places where you battled against Xehanort's dopplegangers are not the real reality of that world." Michael continued. Kairi seemed very focused on what Michael was saying.

"So...if what you're saying is true, we haven't seen the REAL Kingdom Hearts yet?" Riku asked. Michael nodded.

"Yes. And I should tell you something else. There is only one way of entering Kingdom Hearts, the way I mentioned earlier." Michael said. He looked towards Sora and the others, seeing anticipation on their faces.

"Well, maybe I should let you figure that out." Michael said. Sora gasped.

"What? No! No! Michael! Don't stop now! Keep going!" Sora exclaimed. Michael chuckled.

"If I did, I'd be making your quest's end TOO simple. But I'll give you one more hint. The secret to entering Kingdom Hearts, it lies within the ancient world close enough to match the age of Kingdom Hearts. It lies in the heart of Atlantis." Michael said. Suddenly, Kairi seemed a bit surprised.

"The way to Kingdom Hearts...is in Atlantis?" Kairi asked. Michael nodded. Just then, Sora received a call from Mickey on his communicator.

"Hello? Your Majesty?" Sora asked.

"Hey Sora! You guys almost ready? Minnie asked us to come to the castle and we'd better not keep her ready." Mickey said. Sora nodded and said they'd be right there.

"We have to go Michael. Sorry." Kairi said. As they hurried out, Michael chuckled and waved.

"I would have told you Sora. But I think...it should be more fun if you found out for yourself." Michael thought. Sora and the others rushed outside and saw the Gummi Ship floating idly nearby. On board was Mickey, Pete, Donald and Goofy.

"Welp, all set?" Mickey asked, opening the door. Sora and the others walked aboard and once the door was sealed, it took off for the sky. Watching it leave was Selphie, spotting it from the main islands. The ship flew straight towards its destination, returning to the sight of Disney Castle. The Gummi Ship entered the garage and everyone exited to the gardens up above.

"Wow. I didn't think we'd come back here." Sora said. Donald and Goofy looked around.

"Ya know, something doesn't feel quite right." Goofy said. Donald had the same idea, feeling something was off. Just then, they saw Daisy entering the garden.

"Oh there you are. Your Majesty, thank goodness you came back. You're just in time." Daisy said. Mickey looked on in surprise.

"I am? What for?" Mickey asked.

"Did you forget? Today is our yearly celebration of the Dream Festival." Daisy said. Mickey, Donald and Goofy gasped.

"Wak! She's right! I totally forgot!" Donald squawked.

"Huh? Dream Festival? What's that?" Sora asked. Daisy explained that the Dream Festival was a celebration in the town surrounding the castle. Everyone was given the chance for popularity votes and whoever had the most would be awarded the Million Dream Award.

"Really? Wow. This sounds exciting. Come on Sora! Let's check it out!" Kairi called, grabbing Sora's arm. Mickey chuckled.

"C'mon Sora. I think you all deserve a chance to see it. After all you guys have done, you'll probably need the rest." Mickey said. Sora chuckled.

"All right then. Let's go guys!" Sora called. Joining the King, everyone headed down for the castle grounds and saw the majority of the toony looking town around them.

"So THIS is the town that surrounds the castle? A bit cartoonish for my taste." Riku said. Mickey smirked.

"Welp, it's home to us Riku. And that's all that matters." Mickey said. Riku chuckled and shook his head. Just then, Sora looked ahead and gasped. He saw Aqua and Ventus as well.

"Aqua? Ventus? When did you get here?" Sora asked. The two Keybladers chuckled and waved.

"The queen sent us an invitation. The king told her all about the time you guys found us and she wanted us to join in this year's festivities again." Aqua said. Ventus nodded, saying they came here their own way. Sora smiled.

"Oh boy. I just know we're gonna have fun!" Goofy cheered. Sora chucked and thought the entire team would love this. But just as he was about to call Cid and the others at the committee center, he got a strange feeling and looked towards a crowd. Out of all the characters, one was black and white.

"Uhh...your majesty? Who is that?" Sora asked. Mickey looked to the crowd, but the strange character was gone.

"Whaddya mean Sora? I can't tell who you're talking about when there's a crowd." Mickey said. Sora looked again and saw the character was gone. He scratched his head in confusion.

"Maybe you're too wound up from all the fighting Sora. Just take today to relax." Donald said.

"The duck's right ya know? After what happened with Maleficent, maybe that's got ya all tight." Pete added. Sora sighed.

"Yeah. Maybe you guys are right." Sora said. Mickey smiled.

"Go ahead. You call for the others, I'll talk with Minnie." Mickey said. Sora nodded and prepared to radio Cid. Mickey looked through the crowd and eventually found Minnie sitting down nearby.

"Hello there Minnie. What's the matter? You exhausted already?" Mickey teased. Minnie shook her head.

"No. It's not that Mickey. The mirror is missing. That one Yen Sid made." Minnie said. Mickey gasped.

"What? No. That's horrible! If he got out...!" Mickey stuttered. Suddenly, Sora called out to Mickey and the king raced back. The queen also hurried alongside Mickey and found the others. But when Mickey saw Sora, he pointed to a nearby rooftop.

"I think we've got some company!" Sora called. Everyone looked to the rooftop and saw a black and white cartoon character wearing a black cape and a crown on his head. And in his hand was a black and white Keyblade.

"Oh no. Not...Oswald..." Mickey stuttered. Unfortunately, the character on top of the roof WAS Oswald the Rabbit, Mickey's lost brother.

"I have come Mickey Mouse! You stole my throne from me and I want it BACK!" Oswald yelled. He snapped his fingers, calling a raining Heartless shower from above. Everyone screamed and ran as Heartless soon filled the city streets.

"Heartless? Obeying someone with a Keyblade? Your Majesty, who IS that?" Sora asked. Mickey sighed.

"That is...Oswald, my half-brother. He thought he was going to be king of this castle. But when Yen Sid saw more potential in me, Oswald went slightly insane and was locked away inside a mirror Yen Sid made especially for him." Mickey sighed. Oswald jumped down.

"And now that I'm free, your kingdom is MINE Mickey!" Oswald yelled. Sora groaned and drew his Keyblade, followed by everyone else.

"Well, brother or not, you're not getting the king's throne ya wacky rabbit!" Sora yelled. Oswald growled and ordered the Heartless to attack.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	27. Ch 85: Pretender to the Throne

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 85: Pretender to the Throne_**

Oswald's Heartless started to ransack the city and went after everyone they could. Mickey and the others split up to deal with the Heartless, leaving Sora and Mickey to face Oswald alone in the street. The three Keybladers eyed one another with Oswald getting ready to attack.

"Oswald! Why can't you understand that I was chosen over you? There IS such a thing as "honor" among Keybladers!" Mickey cried. Oswald growled.

"Don't talk to me about HONOR mouse! Not after how you and Yen Sid double crossed me!" Oswald exclaimed. Sora groaned.

"So where are you from? You from the castle's past? Because you sure don't fit in here." Sora said. Oswald merely huffed.

"Maybe. But know one thing, I know all about YOU Sora. So don't think you can pull a fast one on me. Ya got it? After all, I've got my OWN little gang of followers too...like THESE!" Oswald snickered. He snapped his fingers and two black puddles formed at his side. And rising up from them were robotic clones of Donald and Goofy, each bearing the Heartless emblem.

"Heartless? And they're Donald and Goofy too!" Sora exclaimed. Oswald laughed.

"So, wanna just surrender Mickey? It's obvious you and that HUMAN don't stand a chance now!" Oswald shouted. But Mickey narrowed his eyes.

"Oswald! I will NEVER let you have this kingdom's throne! This kingdom is MY home and I won't let you get your hands on it!" Mickey shouted. Oswald snarled.

"Then DIE Mickey Mouse!" Oswald exclaimed. Oswald and the robots charged for Mickey as Sora joined Mickey in charging back. Mickey and Oswald begun to clash as Sora was alone to face the robotic Donald and Goofy.

"C'mon! Just because you look like my friends doesn't mean I'll hold back!" Sora yelled. The robot Goofy laughed in Goofy's voice, but its voice started skipping, as it attacked with a spiked shield. Sora avoided it and swung at its head, sending it spinning.

"Ha! Hunk of junk you are!" Sora laughed. But the robot Donald casted Thundaga and it nearly nailed Sora dead on. He yelped and dodged it.

"Whoa! I shouldn't look down on him. He may be Donald, but he's ten times scarier." Sora thought. The robot Donald squawked and casted Blizzard, sending a cold wave at Sora. Meanwhile, Mickey and Oswald were leaping across the city and slashing at each other with their Keyblades.

"You've had everything Mickey! The throne, a REAL Keyblade, friends, everything! Why you?" Oswald yelled. Mickey groaned and forced Oswald back.

"Listen to me Oswald! I don't know how you got out, but your decision of making me the target of some foolish revenge is pitiful!" Mickey cried. Oswald growled.

"Don't call my "dreams" FOOLISH!" Oswald yelled. He rose his Keyblade and drove it into the ground. Suddenly, a black and white aura started to surround him.

"Wha...What's that?" Mickey asked. Oswald laughed.

"It's how I plan to take your kingdom! When this "retro ink" is done covering this town, it'll be transformed back to the empty landscape it once was! But on top of that, anyone it touches will lose their memories and abilities!" Oswald laughed. Mickey groaned, saying there wouldn't be a kingdom for Oswald to take if that happened.

"Well, there's another catch. Once my ink has retro-fied the town, I'll use THIS!" Oswald exclaimed, taking out a vile of black liquid. Mickey could sense a very strong sense of darkness oozing from it.

"When I use it on the town after the ink covers it, I'll release this darkness upon it and I'll be able to form my OWN kingdom from it! One that you'll have NO FUTURE in!" Oswald yelled. Mickey groaned and could see the ink was spreading from where Oswald planted his blade.

"Oswald! Who let you out? Was it a knight in black armor?" Mickey asked. Oswald sneered.

"Well, not quite. He said his name was Vanitas. And he informed me about the "joyful life" you took from me!" Oswald shouted. Mickey gasped.

"V...Vanitas did this? But...why?" Mickey thought. Suddenly, he saw Oswald charging for him and rose his blade in defense.

"Oswald! Don't listen to Vanitas! He's after your heart! Don't sink to the darkness!" Mickey cried. Down below, Mickey and Oswald saw Sora being surrounded by the robotic Heartless.

"Uhhh...your Majesty? A bit of help please?" Sora asked, pinned against a wall. Mickey gasped, leaving an opening for Oswald to strike. The Keyblade was sent flying out of Mickey's hand and Oswald slashed Mickey, sending him flying back. He then lunged at him in midair and violently attacked in a blur of sword slashes, driving Mickey down to the ground.

"No! Your Majesty!" Sora exclaimed. Mickey groaned.

"Oswald...why?" Mickey muttered. As he saw Mickey hit the ground, Oswald laughed.

"I can't believe it! You were more worried about him than yourself? You should never drop your guard in front of an enemy Mickey. Otherwise, you'll regret it." Oswald said. He started to laugh, but unfortunately, that laughing was starting to stir something up inside of Sora.

"Why...you..." Sora growled. Oswald heard Sora and turned his attention to him.

"Do you realize...how annoying you sound right now? Do you?" Sora asked, showing signs of anger. Oswald glared into Sora's eyes.

"How annoying I am? Try thinking about how annoying it is to have an younger brother who outshadows you!" Oswald called. Sora growled.

"Maybe...I don't know how that feels. But...aren't brothers...supposed to be there for each other? To support each other? And isn't it an older brother's job...to be proud of their younger brothers if they succeed?" Sora asked. Oswald was at a lost for words.

"Don't try and coax me kid! Besides, there ain't no way you can outduel me if Mickey couldn't." Oswald said. Suddenly, Sora growled and his Keyblade began to glow. The ground around him started to rumble, rattling the robotic Donald and Goofy.

"Wha...What the?" Oswald gasped. The shaking could be felt around town, even by the feet of Sora's friends who were still driving away Heartless.

"Whoa! What the heck is this? The whole world...feels like its shaking!" Ventus exclaimed. Aqua looked back at where Sora and Mickey were.

"Could this...be Sora's power?" Aqua asked. Riku gasped.

"Unbelievable. Sora's power is THIS strong?" Riku thought. Kairi was at a lost for words too. Sora suddenly started to glow and held his Keyblade in front of him. Oswald gasped.

"This power. Just...what the heck are you?" Oswald gasped. Sora suddenly eyed Oswald.

"Who am I? I'm a REAL Keyblader! And friend to His Majesty, King Mickey!" Sora called. Oswald gasped at the sight of Sora's eyes turning gold and a glowing aura around him. His Keyblade artifacts began to glow and they started to give more power to Sora.

"Gah! Whoa! What is this power? Where is it coming from?" Oswald thought. Suddenly, Sora's glowing aura sky rocketed and he started to initiate a fusion. But with no one with him to fuse, he was fusing with his artifacts. He then vanished in a flash.

"What? Where is he?" Oswald exclaimed. Without a sound, Oswald was struck from behind and sent flying into a building and crashed. The rabbit groaned and looked up at the roof, seeing Sora where he stood. It seemed that Sora had transformed. But this was not his Final Form, despite floating in place like the fusion form. Sora had somehow gone into his Chaos Mode.

"I will not let you harm the king of this world! You don't belong here Oswald the Rabbit!" Sora called. Sora's Chaos Mode had changed, now bearing an piece of clothing from each Keyblade spirit trusted with him.

"No way..." Oswald muttered. Sora then charged at Oswald and they both rammed clear through the building before striking the ground with great force. Mickey could feel it as he slowly rose up.

"Sora!" Mickey thought. After being slammed through, Oswald was finding himself under attack by rapid slashes from Sora. One slash broke through his defense and it flung Oswald away. But Sora wasn't done as he leaped at Oswald and grabbed him.

"Wah! No! Let me go! Let go!" Oswald exclaimed. Sora yelled and threw Oswald to the ground. With that slam, the curse of his dark ink stopped and it began to recede. However, Sora then summoned multiple light spears in the shape of Keyblades around him.

"You're no Keyblader! You're a disgrace! Don't think your acts will give you any pity!" Sora exclaimed, sounding different in his voice. Oswald looked back up and seemed rather frightened of Sora's new power.

"No! Don't! Spare my poor little rabbit hide!" Oswald exclaimed. But there was no sign of pity on Sora's face. He seemed angry and ready to attack. Suddenly, part of Sora's body was beginning to darken. It was sign of his Heartless reacting.

"You are no longer of this world Oswald the Rabbit! Because of your desire and lust for this kingdom, you are hereby branded a denizen of Darkness...FOREVER!" Sora exclaimed. Below Sora, his friends rushed to the scene.

"No! Sora! Don't!" Kairi exclaimed. Sora roared and aimed his light spears at Oswald. Mickey hurried to the scene and gasped.

"Sora! NO!" Mickey cried. With a wave of his hand, Sora fired the spears at Oswald. But suddenly, his body lost its glow and the darkness climbing his shoulder started to fade. The light spears did also.

"Wh...What the?" Oswald muttered. Sora started to calm down and he slowly descended down to the ground. As he did, he returned to his original clothing and dropped to his knees. Sora heavily panted, sweating like a pig.

"Sora! Are you okay?" Donald squawked. His friends gathered around as Oswald began to cower and scurry away. Mickey watched Oswald flee before looking back at Sora. The Heartless robots of Donald and Goofy started to fade too, turning into black ash.

"What...What happened? Did I...do something?" Sora asked. He groaned and fell back, caught by Pete.

"I gotcha kid. Take it easy." Pete said. Nearby, everyone looked out at Sora, seeing the fight was over. Minnie was the first to approach Sora.

"Sora...thank you." she said. Sora chuckled in a shaky voice before passing out.

"I think he needs the rest." Riku said. Kairi watched Sora, worried about what unbelievable power he just displayed. Mickey told Minnie that they would take good care of him and assured everyone that Oswald's plans were officially over. As the crowd cheered, Oswald could hear them from outside the castle grounds.

"That...That was terrifying." Oswald muttered. But as the rabbit sneaked off, he felt his hand grab something. It felt like a person's leg. And when the exhausted rabbit looked up, he saw the face of Vanitas.

"Gah! V...V...Vanitas!" Oswald gasped. Vanitas shused him as Oswald watched in fear as he drew his Keyblade.

"Don't say anything. Your heart...is just right...for the picking. So much darkness..." Vanitas muttered. As the scene goes black, all that can be heard is Vanitas' sword being swung and Oswald screaming. Later, as Sora is being returned to the ship with his friends, Mickey arrives at the castle where Oswald was, only to find that all is left of him is the keychain from his Keyblade, a black version of his head.

"Oswald..." Mickey muttered.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	28. Ch 86: Danger in the Underworld

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 86: Danger in the Underworld_**

About three days passed since Sora faced off against Oswald in Disney Town and successfully drove off the crazy rabbit. The whole time since that day, Sora was laid unconscious and his friends worried. Cid even decided to do a full check up of Sora to see what had happened.

"So, anything Cid?" Leon asked. Everyone gathered in the Committee Center as Cid's machine ran a scan of Sora's body.

"We'll know in a minute." Cid said. Aqua and Ventus watched with worry on their faces.

"What could have happened between those two?" Aqua thought "That power...could it really have been Sora?" Donald and Goofy seemed the most worried of all.

"Sora..." Donald muttered. Goofy looked to Mickey and saw the worried expression on his face.

"Your Majesty? I just know Sora's gonna pull through from this. If he's been able to take everything thats happened and survive, I have no doubt that Sora's gonna wake up soon." Goofy said. Mickey chuckled lightly.

"Yeah. That's the spirit Goof..." Mickey muttered. Aladdin groaned.

"This is just great. Sora asks me for help with whatever crazy problems he's dealing with now and I'm not there to help." Aladdin said. Genie patted Al's shoulder.

"Hey. Don't worry Al. I bet Sora's gonna wake up any second now. Just watch." Genie said. Genie looked at Sora, still seeing him unconscious before him. However, Genie waited patiently. But after a few seconds, Genie got bored.

"Hey! SORA! Wake UP!" Genie yelled. He started pulling instruments out of nowhere and played them loudly, causing a big ruckus. Everyone else clutched their ears in agony until Kairi stopped Genie.

"Genie! Stop it! That's not going to wake Sora up!" Kairi exclaimed. But just then, they all saw Sora's eyes starting to squirm. Genie was in shock.

"Well whaddya know? That actually worked." Genie said. Sora slowly sat up and groaned.

"Ugh. My head. Wha...What happened guys?" he asked. He looked around him and saw the others all gathered nearby.

"And why are you looking at me like that?" Sora asked. Cid chuckled.

"Well, I gues you finally decided to wake up. Huh kid?" Cid asked. Sora groaned.

"Whaddya mean? What day is it?" Sora asked, rubbing his head.

"It's been three days since you passed out Sora. The king and the others carried you back here after that mess you had with Oswald. As for the rabbit, well..." Leon said. Mickey showed Sora the remainder of his Keyblade.

"No way. Is...Oswald dead?" Sora asked.

"I dunno. All I can bet is Vanitas got to him." Mickey said. Sora sighed, wishing he knew what even happened when fighting Oswald. He just remembered going into his Chaos Mode when he got angry, but everything else was a blur.

"Hmm. From what I can gather, you seemed to have had an attack from that inner Heartless of yours. These scans show you've got SOME dark thing inside you." Cid said. Aqua gasped.

"Inner Heartless? Sora? How is that possible?" Aqua asked. Sora looked to Kairi and Riku.

"It was...It was my fault. I let Ansem...I mean, Xehanort's Heartless possess me. We fought and...I was defeated." Riku said.

"And after that, he learned my heart had passed on into him when they fought. He sacrificed himself to set my heart free, at the cost of nearly losing his own." Kairi continued. Ventus looked down at Sora.

"You're one brave guy Sora. That's for sure." Ven said. Sora chuckled, feeling like he couldn't help but agree. Cid turned to his monitor.

"What is it Cid?" Leon asked.

"I'm just afraid that this is gonna get worse. If that Heartless reacted to Sora using his powers to such a degree, no doubt its trying to possess him. If that happens...we'd be no chance of stopping him." Cid said. Everyone gasped.

"What? No. I...I don't want to become a Heartless. Cid, is there anything we can do?" Sora asked. Cid groaned, wishing he knew. Just then, they heard someone enter and spotted Hercules at the door.

"I can only think of one reason. I was passing by when I heard the commotion. I think the only person that can help Sora now...is Hades." Hercules said. Sora and Donald gasped.

"Ha...Hades?" Goofy asked. Hercules nodded, saying that Hades' magic could probably separate Sora from the Heartless feeding at his heart. Sora looked at his chest.

"I don't know Herc. What if Hades pull a trick on me? I don't want to lose my heart completely." Sora said. Hercules sighed, wishing he knew another way. Sora groaned.

"All right. Then...let's go as soon as possible. If Hades can help, we'll have to trust him." Sora said. Donald and Goofy stood right by Sora's side, saying they'd go anywhere to help him out. Leon told Sora that Hades might not listen.

"Well, if Hades won't listen to Sora, we'll have to remind Hades exactly who it was that beat him last time. Right?" Hercules asked. Sora nodded, saying that he might listen better if they bring the group he saw last time after him.

"Okay. I'll go pass word to Emil and Marta. Since they were with you, they might help. I'll see if Cloud can go too. I'm sorry that Vincent can't come since he's out patrolling with Auron right now." Leon said. Sora nodded and started heading for the Gummi Ship. And as soon as he was ready, Sora's group set out for Olympus Coliseum. Traveling with him this time was Emil, Marta, Richter, Hercules and Cloud.

"All right. So we find Hades, get him to use his magic and leave. Right?" Marta asked. Sora nodded.

"But just be careful guys. Hades isn't a guy you can get to work for you easily." Sora said. The ship flew through the stars, arriving at the coliseum in only a half hour. When it landed, they headed straight down for the Underworld.

"Hey! Hades! I know you're here! Come on out!" Hercules yelled, hearing his voice echo. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared before them and out came Hades.

"Well, well, well. Look who FINALLY shows up again after the last mess that happened." Hades chuckled with a sneer. He looked down at Sora.

"And, oh joy, you brought the kid back with ya. So what NOW Hercules? Getting bored with your new job?" Hades asked. Sora approached Hades.

"Hades? I hear you're pretty good with dark magic. Well, we've got a proposition for you." Sora said. Hades slowly glared back at Sora.

"Excuse me? Excuse...ME? You, of all people, come here looking for MY help?" Hades asked. The others nodded.

"Sora has a Heartless inside him that's acting up and we need your help to extract it." Richter explained. Hades looked questionably at Richter.

"Uhh...I'm sorry. Who are you?" Hades asked.

"This is Richter. He's a friend of ours. But that's the deal. We want you to help extract the Heartless inside Sora." Emil explained. Hades lightly stroked his chin and turned away.

"Hmm. This has got to be the most awkward thing I've ever seen. The good guys come to a bad guy for help. Hmm. What to do, what to do." Hades mumbled. He then looked at Sora and chuckled.

"Sure. Why not? Hey. I'm a reasonable guy. I can, MAYBE, lend a hand." Hades said. Sora and Hercules seemed a bit surprised at Hades' response.

"Wak! Hold on a second. You want something from this, don't you?" Donald asked. Hades chuckled.

"Yep. You caught me duckie. So, here's the deal kid. If I DO get that Heartless out of you, I wanna keep it." Hades said. Sora glared up at Hades. When he asked for what purpose, Hades chuckled and said he'd probably could use a little help around the Underworld.

"So you just want another slave to clean up after you? Hmph. I pity any fool that gets stuck with you as a boss." Richter huffed. Hades sneered.

"Hey. What's the ruler of the Underworld to do? Huh?" Hades asked. Cloud groaned, eyeing Hades from the back of the group.

"So do we got a deal?" Goofy asked. Sora and Hades nodded.

"Yeah. We got a deal." they both said. But just as Hades was going to head back to his lair, Richter said he'd come along to make sure Hades wasn't going to pull anything.

"Okay. Be careful Richter." Hercules said. Richter nodded and followed Hades back to his lair in a flash. Sora and the others waited for half an hour for Hades to return, but not one sign of either Hades or Richter had been seen.

"Wow. Richter's taking a long time. I hope Hades is staying true to his word." Marta said.

"If I know Richter, he won't let Hades pull a fast one on him." Cloud said. Sora groaned, looking anxiously at his chest. Suddenly, he felt as if a sharp pin had just jabbed him in the heart and yelled, grabbing his shirt.

"Gah! Sora! What's wrong?" Emil exclaimed. Everyone hurried to Sora as he grabbed onto Goofy and Donald.

"Donald! Goofy! I think...that Heartless is...starting to act up again." Sora groaned. But just then, they heard the sound of a metal blade being swung and they heard Richter yell in pain.

"That's Richter's voice! He's in trouble!" Marta gasped.

"Hurry!" Hercules yelled. They hurried on ahead, leaving the lobby and heading down the path. When they entered, Richter was up against a wall and clutching his side. Marta and Emil gasped.

"Richter! Are...Are you okay? Who did this to you?" Emil exclaimed. Suddenly, Marta heard someone giggling.

"Why we did of course." a voice said. They slowly looked ahead of them and saw two figures before them. One was a young woman wearing white and pink, carrying a thin sword at her side. The other was a tall man in a white jacket and black pants. He held an even bigger sword at his side.

"Emil! Look..." Marta gasped. Emil stuttered.

"No. It...It can't be." Emil said. The girl giggled.

"Aw. You don't look so good Mart-Mart, what's wrong?" she asked. Marta gulped as the others stood ready with their weapons.

"Alice...and...D...Decus...how are you two alive?" Marta asked. Emil commented on seeing the last of them at the Ginnugagap. Decus chuckled.

"Things work out in strange ways kid. It's true. You DID finish us off back in the Ginnugagap. But we're back and we've got a NEW boss now." Decus said. Sora groaned.

"Let me guess. Is he a guy in a suit of black armor?" Sora asked. Alice shrugged.

"Hmm. Guess you two already met. But that aside, we KNOW about your little secret trip." Alice said. Donald and Goofy seemed a bit worried.

"What secret trip?" Emil asked.

"To Kingdom Hearts of course. Your little friend, the guy with the big key, is trying to get there right?" Alice asked. The others gasped.

"Oh man. This means the Dark Knight knows about our plan." Sora thought. Richter groaned.

"Emil...be careful. They might be the same as last time, but...they've gotten stronger. They jumped me earlier." Richter said. Emil nodded and turned back to them.

"You didn't REALLY think you could keep that big a secret from our boss, did you?" Decus asked, clutching his sword.

"We can't just let you go on to Kingdom Hearts now. So, for our boss' plans, we need you all...to DIE." Alice said with an evil grin. Everyone drew their weapons, preparing for a fight.

**__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	29. Ch 87: Old Foes Clash

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 87: Old Foes Clash_**

Down in the Underworld, Sora clashed blades with Decus as Alice was busy chasing after Marta and Emil. Marta was able to jump back and strike back with her spinner, but Alice was just as quick.

"Ha! You've gotten slower Mart-Mart, you can't touch me." Alice teased. Marta growled.

"Why you...! Try saying that when I cut that brattish mouth off!" Marta exclaimed, chasing after Alice. Emil tried to help, but Decus had suddenly broken away from Sora and lunged at him.

"Not so fast kid!" Decus exclaimed. Sora gasped and attacked Decus from behind with Strike Raid. Decus groaned with each strike.

"Pick on someone your own size bud!" Sora exclaimed, striking Decus for the final time. Decus groaned.

"Why you...!" Decus yelled. Alice and Marta seemed at stalemate with each other as Marta's spinner caught Alice's sword.

"Alice! I don't know why the Dark Knight revived you, but you have to stop! No doubt he's just using you!" Marta exclaimed. Alice chuckled.

"What's the matter Mart-Mart? Afraid that you're gonna lose this time? So you're trying to lie yourself out of this mess?" Alice asked. Suddenly, she heard Donald squawked and turned around, only to be greeted by Goofy's shield slamming her in the face.

"D'ow!" Alice exclaimed.

"Take this! Thundaga!" Donald squawked. Marta saw the bolt coming for her and leaped back, leaving Alice to be zapped.

"Ouch. That's gotta hurt." Cloud chuckled. Hercules and Cloud looked after Richter as the others continued to fight. Sora and Decus were soon back clashing with each other as Emil hurried to aide Marta.

"Hang on Marta! I'm coming!" Emil called. But Alice quickly saw him as she was trying to get Marta. As Emil lunged at her, she jumped away and caused Emil to accidentally tackle Marta.

"D'oh. You okay Emil?" Marta asked. Emil groaned.

"Yeah. S...Sorry Marta." Emil said. Alice chuckled.

"Come on now. Surely you're smarter than that blondie. Or have you dumbed down too since we last met?" Alice asked. Emil groaned as his eyes remained on Alice. Suddenly, Alice heard Decus yell. She turned around and saw Sora had knocked Decus up into the air.

"I'll take THAT!" Sora called. He grabbed Decus' blade as it fell from his grip and into his. Sora then saw Alice and came charging.

"Dah! What the...?" Alice yelled. Sora started attacking Alice with a barrage of combo attacks using both his blades. Alice's small sword proved worthless as she tried shielding herself. But Sora broke through and kept attacking until a clean strike sent her skidding.

"Whoa! Thanks Sora." Marta said. Alice growled.

"Why...Why you! How DARE you hit a lady like me!" Alice exclaimed. Sora chuckled.

"A lady? You didn't seem to act like one when you jumped an unarmed man earlier." Sora said, glancing at Richter. Alice growled as Decus came crashing down behind Sora.

"Dang. This kid's tough." Decus thought. He looked ahead of Sora and saw Alice covered in bruises.

"Alice! What happened to you? Are you all right my love?" Decus asked. Hearing that made Sora, Donald, Goofy and the others flip.

"Your WHAT?" Sora exclaimed. Alice groaned.

"Decus! I don't think...we can win this. The Keyblade wielder's...too strong. D'oh. Retreat!" Alice exclaimed. She started to run off as Decus nodded and grabbed his sword back as he came past Sora. They only watched as Alice and Decus fled.

"Uhhh...that's...that's right! And don't let me catch you again...ya hear?" Sora called. Marta and Emil sighed.

"I can't believe they're really back. If the Dark Knight is behind this, he's gotten stronger." Emil said. Marta nodded.

"Richter? What happened to Hades?" Sora asked. Richter groaned, being helped up by Cloud.

"Hades...he vanished the second Marta and Decus showed up. He said he didn't wanna...get caught in the crossfire." Richter said. Sora groaned.

"That coward." Hercules said. Suddenly, a black puff of smoke brought Hades to the scene.

"Excuse me? Maybe I didn't hear ya right "Wonder Boy". You're calling me a COWARD? Hmph. If I hadn't have left, how do you think I would've gotten THIS for your little pal?" Hades asked, poofing a black vile in his hand. He handed it to Sora.

"What's that?" Donald asked.

"Something that'll surely severe his ties to that Heartless feeding away at him. It won't do anything else. One sip is all ya need." Hades said. Sora looked at the black liquid inside and groaned.

"You SURE?" Sora asked. Hades chuckled.

"Hey. You don't think I'd cheat ya kid, would ya?" Hades asked. Meanwhile, Alice and Decus arrived at the stairway leading back to the colosseum. The two collapsed from exhaustion.

"Darn it. I...I thought they'd be after us for sure." Decus said. Alice groaned, seeing the damage from Sora's attacks.

"When I see those twerps again...I'm really gonna finish them off." Alice said. Decus examined Alice until they both heard a huff.

"You pathetic FOOLS. What cowards you truly are..." the voice said. Alice and Decus looked ahead and gasped, seeing the Dark Knight standing before them.

"B...Boss." Decus said. The knight examined the worn out state Alice was in.

"I knew it was a mistake to bring you two back. Not only did you fail to bring me Sora, but you fled from the fight when you started to lose." the knight said. Decus groaned.

"Hey pal. If we had hung around, Alice could've gotten seriously injured." Decus said. But suddenly, Decus found himself greeted by the sharp end of the knight's sword.

"Does that matter? In battle, one can't simply just give up and flee. What are you? A swordsman or a cowardly mouse?" the knight asked. Decus growled.

"Decus...no." Alice said. But Decus didn't listen as he drew his blade.

"You wanna call me a mouse? Fine. But don't say that trying to keep my Alice safe is foolish!" Decus exclaimed. He roared as he came charging. But one clean swing from the knight knocked Decus out.

"NO! Decus!" Alice exclaimed. The knight grabbed Decus by the jacket.

"Hmm. Such a dark mind. He'll do perfectly. If I cannot use him well as a lackey, I shall make you into what you truly are...a Heartless." he said. Alice gasped.

"No! Don't! Don't do it! Give us another chance! We'll get him next time! Just please! Put Decus down!" Alice exclaimed. But the knight didn't listen as he vanished in a flash. As Alice sat there crying, she started bawling. Her crying could be heard echoing the Underworld.

"What the?" Sora asked.

"A...Alice?" Marta thought. Everyone hurried to the sound of Alice's crying and found her on her knees at the stairway.

"Alice! So THERE you are!" Sora called, drawing his blade. But Marta suddenly stopped him.

"Marta? What's wrong?" Goofy asked. Alice looked back at Marta.

"Alice, what happened? Where's Decus?" Marta asked. Alice started to rub the tears from her eyes and faced them.

"Mart-Mart...it was our boss. He...He just came and...took Decus away. He said...he was gonna make him into a Heartless." Alice said. Sora gasped.

"Whoa. That dude is harsh." Hercules said. Richter groaned.

"Decus wasn't that big a help earlier when he and Alice attacked us, but even HE doesn't deserve to be a Heartless for simply failing to beat someone." Richter thought. Sora looked on as Alice looked towards the stairway.

"So...you think he's up there?" Sora asked. Donald and Goofy nodded.

"He must be. I don't think the knight would be anywhere here in the Underworld after what just happened." Hercules said. Sora turned to the others.

"All right then. Guys? Let's go after the knight. We've got someone to save." Sora said. Alice gasped.

"Wh...What? You're...You're gonna go save Decus?" Alice asked. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. I can tell that face you're making...isn't a fake one. And besides, like Richter probably thought earlier, no one deserves to be a Heartless." Sora said. Alice looked on as Marta approached her.

"Sora is incredibly strong Alice. Don't worry. We'll get Decus back." Marta said. Alice wiped her eyes.

"In that case, I'm...I'm coming too. Decus means a lot to me. And...I don't wanna see him become a Heartless." Alice said. Sora nodded.

"Okay then. Let's go! Hurry!" Hercules called. They started dashing up the stairway to the colosseum, hoping they weren't too late to save Decus.

**__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	30. Ch 88: Fight the Knight

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 88: Fight the Knight_**

Sora and the others raced up the stairway, hurrying as fast as they could to catch the knight and Decus. Alice kept alongside Marta as she saw the stairs soon leading up to the gateway to the colosseum.

"Decus...please be all right." Alice thought. Sora could see the doors ahead of him.

"We're almost there! Hurry guys!" Sora cried. Hercules suddenly came charging and bashed down the doors with all his strength. The doors came flying off as they raced onto the courtyard.

"Kid! Over here!" a voice called. Sora and Herc looked ahead and saw Phil racing over with Meg and Pegasus.

"Phil! Did you see that knight guy anywhere?" Marta asked.

"That's what I was gonna say! That crazy knight is back and he's got some guy inside the arena! You've gotta hurry! The other guy's in real pain!" Phil exclaimed. Sora gasped.

"Decus..." Alice muttered. They hurried on ahead as Meg and Pegasus stood and watched. Richter forced the doors open and let everyone through before joining back with them. They hurried to the arena and saw it. The knight had Decus trapped in some kind of electrical attack.

"Dagh! Geh! GYAAAH!" Decus screamed. Alice gasped.

"No! Decus!" Alice exclaimed. The knight suddenly noticed them.

"So...you came after all Sora. I thought you surely wouldn't mind this. After all, this fool was of no use to me anyway." he said. Sora growled.

"No way am I gonna let you turn someone into a Heartless just because he didn't want his friend getting hurt! You're just a sore loser!" Sora shouted. Decus groaned, barely able to turn as his eyes caught the sight of Alice.

"Alice...ge...gah! R...Run away!" Decus exclaimed. Alice shook her head.

"No! Not until we get you back Decus! I won't let you turn into a Heartless!" Alice cried. Decus was shocked to see Alice, standing by Emil and Marta's side, saying that to him.

"Fool. You wish to be the same as him? I don't need you once I finish...THIS!" the knight exclaimed. The electrical blast intensified and Decus' body started to glow black.

"GAAAAHHHHH!" Decus screamed. The others watched as two more arms started to sprout out from Decus' side.

"No! Decus!" Alice screamed. Marta held Alice back.

"No! Alice! Don't do it! You'll get caught in the crossfire!" Marta exclaimed. Sora and Emil only watched as Decus' skin turn pitch black and his eyes started to glow yellow. Suddenly, Decus gave a loud roar and broke the knight's attack. Decus had been changed into a beastly Heartless with multiple arms, each bearing a sword.

"Now...Decus? DESTROY these interlopers!" the knight called. Decus eyed Sora's group and cackled maliciously. Alice gasped at the sight of Decus' new form.

"Decus...what did he DO to you?" Alice thought. Decus laughed and came charging, but his attack was cut short by Richter drawing his sword.

"Geh! Decus! You...imbecile!" Richter thought. He forced Decus back, but that only made Decus attack again. He spun around with his swords stuck out wide and rapidly attacked the others.

"Incoming! Look out!" Sora called. Everyone jumped away, avoiding Decus' attack. Cloud drew his sword and dashed his way.

"Take this you mutant FREAK!" Cloud called. He started to use Sonic on Decus, slashing him with each swing. Decus shrieked each time he was hit before the final sent him upward.

"Here I come Decus!" Emil called. Decus saw Emil charging his way and quickly regained his composure. He landed on his feet and came dashing at Emil.

"Slice and dice! Gotta slice and dice you ALL!" Decus laughed. His swords grew longer and he lunged at Emil. Emil jumped back and avoided, but Decus only grinned more.

"Surge of Darkness!" he shrieked. A giant black wave erupted from his swords and sent Emil flying. The attack also came roaring towards Donald and Goofy.

"Wak! Goofy! Run!" Donald squawked as he leaped on Goofy's back. Goofy yelped and dashed away, missing the attack. Sora came charging at Decus now.

"All right. You wanna get rough? I'll play ROUGH!" Sora called. He reached for Atlas' artifact and activated it, awakening his second Keyblade. Decus seemed shocked as Sora started bashing away at Decus with both blades.

"Take this!" Sora called. He caught Decus in a whirlwind and sent him flying with a rapid strike of his swords. Alice only watched with Marta, seeing Decus being flung around.

"Decus! No! Stop this! Now!" Alice exclaimed. Decus landed again and suddenly, he sprouted more arms from his side. Each now held a massive sword.

"Yes. Let nothing stop you. Keep at it Decus!" the knight called. Richter groaned.

"Is he just gonna keep sprouting arms? He's never gonna stop at this rate!" Richter thought. Decus started to laugh insanely, showing more signs of becoming a ravenous Heartless. But Alice couldn't take it, her eyes flooded with tears.

"Decus! NO!" Alice screamed. She shoved Marta aside and came racing at Decus, still laughing.

"Alice! No! Get back here! Decus is too dangerous right now!" Richter cried. But Alice didn't listen, only keeping her eyes on Decus.

"Decus! Snap out of this you...you big dummy!" Alice exclaimed. When she got close, Alice dropped her sword and suddenly hugged Decus as tight as she could. Decus was frozen with shock, stopping his insane laugh.

"Decus! Listen to me! Wake up Decus! Wake up!" Alice cried. Decus glared down at Alice's tear filled eyes. The brute did nothing as their eyes looked at each other.

"Decus...please...no more. S...Stop this...now." Alice said. She sniffled into Decus' jacket, not letting him go in the least. Suddenly, something started to happen. Decus dropped his swords and suddenly, his extra arms started popping off.

"Wh...What?" the knight thought. Decus' skin was starting to return to normal too. His eyes regained their human appearance.

"Alice..." he muttered. The knight couldn't believe his eyes. It seemed that Alice's care for Decus was helping his heart break free of its dark shell. Decus had fully returned to normal and collapsed to his knees.

"Decus..." she muttered. The knight growled and drew his blade.

"Worthless SCUM!" he exclaimed. He roared and came charging, but as Alice gasped and prepared for the hit, the knight was cut off by Sora and his blade.

"Hold it right there tin man!" Sora called. The knight snarled.

"Foolish boy! Stay out of this matter!" he cried. The knight roared and lunged at Sora again. But Sora shielded himself with both blades. He pushed the knight back before hammering away at him.

"Degh! You...!" the knight growled. His sword suddenly doubled in size and he ripped it through the ground, sending chunks of the arena at Sora. But Sora was able to break them with one swing each.

"Don't think I'm gonna let you do this! You're the real coward! Why not face me already and get it over with?" Sora asked. The knight growled.

"Fine! This is the end for your meddlesome acts BOY!" the knight called. But as he swung his sword, Sora ducked down and came at him from his chest.

"Take...THIS!" Sora called. He swung with all his might and the knight was caught in the attack. He groaned and was sent flying from that one attack. The strike also knocked something off the knight's body. It appeared to be the Keyblade artifacts he collected.

"Sora! Look! He dropped his charms!" Goofy called. Sora also saw something else had been knocked off. The attack also knocked off the knight's helmet. But from the distance Sora sent him flying, he couldn't make out his head.

"Now...why don't we see who you REALLY are...Mister Knight." Richter said. But the knight said nothing, suddenly warping away in a black cloud. His helmet went along with him.

"Dang it. And here I thought we'd finally see who's been getting in our way too." Hercules said. Everyone then remained silent as Alice and Decus still hugged onto each other.

"Decus? Are...Are you all right?" Alice asked. Decus regained his consciousness and looked at Alice.

"Y...Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks...Alice." he said. Alice sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"Don't you do anything that stupid again. G...Got it, Decus you dummy?" Alice asked. Decus nodded. Alice could hear Marta approaching from behind.

"Alice...I'm glad you and Decus are all right." Marta said. Alice said nothing as she released Decus and stood up. She suddenly turned to Marta.

"Wh...What?" Marta asked. Everyone just looked on as Alice's hands trembled.

"Is she okay? She must've been scared." Donald asked. Marta tried to reach out, but Alice suddenly grabbed her by her wrist. Richter gasped.

"Look out! She's gonna...!" Richter exclaimed. But without any words, Alice pulled Marta close and hugged her tightly as well. Marta seemed rather surprised as Alice hugged her tightly.

"Thank you...Marta. Thank you...all." Alice said. She continued to cry as Marta smiled and hugged her lightly.

"Alice..." Marta muttered. The others watched on, smiling at Alice turning around in life. Even Richter himself was rather surprised. Later on, they gathered together outside the colosseum. However, Phil seemed a bit steamed at Herc.

"What's the matter with ya champ? You've hardly been doing SQUAT since you tagged along Sora. Are you getting flabby on me?" Phil asked. Herc chuckled.

"Now Phil. It's not what you think." he said. But Phil didn't buy it as he huffed and crossed his arms.

"SURE it's not. Well, don't think this little trip of yours means no more training. You're gonna have ME to keep ya in shape." Phil said. Sora gasped.

"W...Wait! Phil! You don't mean...!" Sora called. Phil nodded.

"Yep. You either take me with ya to get this guy in shape, and probably the rest of your "team", or ya ain't going at all." Phil said. Sora and the others groaned.

"Great. Just what we need. An angry little goat yelling and bossing us around. Leon's REALLY gonna like your latest addition, huh Sora?" Cloud asked. Sora sighed.

"Don't rub it in Cloud. Please don't." Sora said. Phil seemed rather smug, knowing there was no other way around this. Marta also reminded Sora that Decus and Alice wanted to help out too.

"Yeah. I know. Boy. At this rate, my "team" is gonna seem like an army." Sora said. Meg chuckled.

"Well, good luck Sora. I think you'll need it now." Meg said. Sora sighed and slapped himself in the face. Donald and Goofy could be heard lightly snickering in the back.

**__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	31. Ch 89: Discovering the Hidden Secret

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 88: Discovering the Hidden Secret_**

We return to Radiant Gardens about a few days after Sora and friends returned from Olympus Coliseum. Thanks to Hades' help, Sora's Heartless had been extracted and he was in better shape now.

"You feeling any better Sora?" Kairi asked. Sora looked at his chest and firmly nodded.

"Yeah. Although I gotta admit, that was a bit of a hectic problem we had, wasn't it?" Sora asked. Cloud nodded.

"That's for sure. After you drank that stuff Hades gave you, your Heartless came popping out and it took us almost an hour to weaken it and for Hades to gain control of it. Unfortunately, it seems we weakened it too much and it evaporated." Cloud said. Sora nervously chuckled.

"Yeah. Well, that's not surprising. I really just wanted that thing gone." Sora said. Outside, in the streets of the city, Phil was forcing Lloyd, Lilo and others to do tracks around the city to keep them in top shape.

"C'mon ya lazy slackers! That's the best you can do? I wanna see you sweat from this! Ya got me?" Phil called. Lloyd groaned.

"Again, WHY did Sora bring goat boy with him?" Lloyd asked. Lilo didn't know either, but she was sure getting tired of Phil bossing them around like their personal trainer. Pete was at the back of the group, panting heavy for breath and collapsing on the spot.

"D'oh! My aching legs!" Pete groaned. Hercules watched the others continuing to track around the course as Ventus and Aqua observed too.

"Hey! Looking good guys!" Herc called. But as he watched them, everyone angrily glared at him.

"Remind me to get you back for this Herc." Lloyd thought. Aqua and Ven chuckled.

"Well, things SURE are different after you guys came back last time, isn't it?" Aqua asked. Herc groaned.

"I know. Sometimes, I feel like Phil is going overboard with the others." Herc said. Meanwhile, Alice and Decus were wandering around the city themselves.

"So...this is Radiant Gardens? Huh. It's kinda nice." Decus said. Alice nodded as well, seeing everything that was around her. As the two continued on, Sora was also out as well. But he was in a different situation as, in his hand, he carried the artifacts recovered from the Dark Knight.

"I've gotten a lot more of the artifacts back. I just wonder what we can do with them? D'oh. And I really wish Michael could've been more specific with what he told us last time." Sora thought. He thought back to the last words he heard from Michael after their last visit.

_"The secret to entering Kingdom Hearts, it lies within the ancient world close enough to match the age of Kingdom Hearts. It lies in the heart of Atlantis."_

Sora groaned, bopping his forehead.

"Atlantis? How am I supposed to find a place like THAT?" Sora groaned. Sora gave a heavy sigh, figuring he would come to that when necessary. He walked up to Ansem's study, hoping he could be of assistance. Meanwhile, outside the team base, Kairi was looking up at the sky. Marta approached from behind.

"Kairi? Is everything all right?" Marta asked. Kairi sighed.

"Not really Marta. I've...been thinking about something lately." Kairi said. Marta stood at her side.

"What is it?" Marta asked.

"Well, I know that the reason all of us are together is...because we have to save the worlds from the Heartless and finally take down the Dark Knight. But...what then?" Kairi asked. Marta seemed a bit uneasy, unable to directly answer her.

"I mean. If we DO win and...Kingdom Hearts is saved, what then? I'll have...to go back to my real home. I...I don't know how that's going to affect Sora." Kairi said. Marta looked up at Kairi, starting to see her cry a bit.

"Hey. Do...Don't cry Kairi. I'm sure you and Sora are going to be together forever. Right? Nothing could separate you two." Marta said. Kairi sniffled.

"But, Sora and I aren't even from the same worlds. It was just mere luck that we met. But when we win, I'll probably have to go back to Kingdom Hearts and Sora...he'll...go back to the islands." Kairi said. Marta sighed.

"I...I don't know how to answer that. But...the same thing happened between me and Emil. I thought...after our adventure was over, we'd never see each other again." Marta said. Kairi looked down at Marta, a bit surprised to hear her.

"But...somehow fate had different plans. Emil and I were together again. I was so happy." Marta said, wiping a tear from her eye "So...I guess all I can say is...don't give up so easily. You...and Sora...ARE gonna be together...forever even. So...forget about all this matter of you being a princess and him another world inhabitant. Think about how much fun you guys have had together...all the good times." Kairi looked on at the sky above her, believing in Marta's words.

"Thank you...Marta." Kairi muttered. Also out in the city was Doctor Doofenshmirtz, out for a walk. He was actually starting to creep away.

"Heh heh. Sorry kiddos. But I see you don't need ME anymore. So...I will be seeing you." Doofenshmirtz muttered. But then, he was stopped by someone. He looked down and saw Perry at his feet.

"Perry the Platypus? Hmm. Hey, where have YOU been anyway? What's it been? Like...FOURTY chapters since I last saw you?" Doofenshmirtz asked. Suddenly, the screen froze and there stood Kuzco.

"Heh. He's one to talk. You all haven't seen the Kuzco-inator for longer than that! So...what's he got that I don't?" Kuzco asked. He then plucked out a red marker and doodled on Doofenshmirtz's face, making him look like a clown.

"From what I can tell, big nose here gets more attention than me. What? You think just because my world has no Keyblader anymore, I'm forgotten? Hmph. People these days." Kuzco said. He then stepped off screen and the scene continued. Perry just chirped at him.

"Oh don't give me that! You think I'm just high tailing out of here because I don't wanna get hurt, right? Hmph. Well, I thought someone like you would see that I only was supposed to help them ONE time. What reason is there for me to hang around?" Doof asked. Perry simply stared at him.

"What? Got nothing to say this time?" Doof asked. Perry looked away with a sarcastic glare. Doofenshmirtz somehow understood that.

"Huh? Oh. You think I didn't LIKE helping goodie two shoes? Well, don't get me wrong. It's not that I hated them. But..." Doof said. He then stopped, remembering all of the things Sora and friends did for him. When he fell asleep while looking at schematics or books, Kairi or someone else would give him a blanket, they laughed at his jokes, he was treated with kindness that paralleled that of his family's grief.

"You know? They...They're not really bad folks. And...if it wasn't for them, I'd probably still be in prison right now." Doof said. He then looked down at a silent Perry.

"Hmph. I dunno why you're here Perry the Platypus. I'm not up to anything bad right now. So...you know, go ahead. Skeedaddle." Doof said. Perry chirped.

"What? You want to help us too? You actually WANT to go see Kingdom Hearts?" Doof asked. Perry nodded.

"Wow. You, good sir, are a BRAVE semi-aquatic mammal." Doof said, pointing to the platypus. Doof suddenly bent down and pinched Perry's cheek.

"But don't go thinking that I'm turning over a leaf Perry the Platypus. When we're back home, it's good ol' bad guy Doofenshmirtz again. Heh heh." Doof snickered. At Ansem's Study, Sora sat down with Ansem and showed him all the artifacts he had. The artifacts of Ventus and Roxas vanished with their returns.

"Well Sora, you certainly have been busy. So...this will be the end soon. Right?" Ansem asked. Sora nodded.

"Yeah. My friends and I worked hard to save these Keybladers. But...what I don't get is what Michael told me back home." Sora said. He told Ansem what Michael had told him, making Ansem curious.

"Hmm. The way to Kingdom Hearts lies in Atlantis? Well, I think I know your next stop. But...I was already told this by Kairi and I dug a bit. Thanks to help from Cid and the others, I discovered this in the library." Ansem said. He handed Sora a book. Examining the cover, Sora saw it had the emblem of a gold "A" on the front.

"Leon recovered this from the Heartless one day. I think it might provide you with some answers before you go to Atlantis." Ansem said. Sora sighed.

"Easier said than done Ansem. I don't really think a world named "Atlantis" exists out there." Sora said. Ansem chuckled.

"That's funny to hear from you Sora. Considering all the worlds you HAVE seen, what's to say Atlantis doesn't exist?" Ansem asked. Sora looked at the book and rubbed the cover.

"Heh. Yeah. Who says this place isn't real?" Sora asked. He then recollected the artifacts and told Ansem that he would definitely give the book a skim tonight. As Sora left, Ansem watched with a smile.

"Sora...I know you can save Kingdom Hearts. I believe in you." Ansem thought. That night, Sora had a chance to examine the book and showed what he read to the others. When the next day came, Sora was already heading out on the Gummi Ship with Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Colette, Raine and Genis.

"Wow. This is going to be so cool. I always wanted to see an ancient city like Atlantis. You think it really exists Sora?" Genis asked. Sora chuckled.

"We'll find out. Won't we?" Sora asked. Raine was busy exploding with joy, going into Ruin Mode as she thought about Atlantis. Suddenly, Sora saw something racing up nearby. It appeared to be Aqua and Ventus on their boards.

"Hey Sora! We're coming too!" Ventus cried. Sora chuckled, daring Ventus to a race. Aqua sighed.

"Boys will be boys I suppose." she thought. The two raced on, journeying through space until they could see something ahead. It appeared to be a floating utopian world, surrounded by a giant bubble of water.

"That must be it!" Donald cried. Sora nodded.

"All right guys. Let's go!" Sora called. As the two traveling groups prepared to breach the bubble, another ship was also heading towards the same world. But they were at a much farther distance than Sora and the others were. The Gummi Ship headed towards the world first.

"Let me take a crack at this bubble first Ventus. Hang on." Sora said. The ship flew directly for the bubble around the world and was able to successfully break through without attacking or anything.

"Guess it's safe. Let's go Ven." Aqua said. Ven nodded and they started to fly through the bubble and into the world. Both parties came down on an island of land sitting on the other side of a long bridge. As Sora exited the ship, he saw in amazement the long stretch towards the main island itself.

"Wow. Look at this place. It's simply huge." Sora said. Kairi looked around, seeing the waterfalls leaking over the edges of the city.

"It's so beautiful here. I wish the others could see it." Kairi said. Suddenly, they heard a voice chuckle.

"Perhaps you can tell your friends about it when you return home." it said. Sora gasped and drew his blade.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Sora called.

"We're not afraid to fight! So come out now!" Raine cried. Suddenly, they saw a teenage woman leap down from the nearby cliffs and land in front of them. She had long white hair and wore a dark blue dress with space for her legs.

"It is all right. I am Kida, a citizen of this world. I have been waiting for your arrival...Keyblade bearer." she said. Sora seemed a bit surprised.

"You...were?" Sora asked.

"Yes. We've heard that, from an unknown person, that your kind would be here to seek answers to Kingdom Hearts. It said their leader can be distinguished from the "key-like" weapon he wields." Kida said. Sora looked at his blade and had one idea as to who the voice was, figuring it to be Michael.

"Oh. Well, yeah. That's us. We're here to find the entrance to Kingdom Hearts. We heard it was here and hoped to find it." Genis said. Kida nodded.

"Then let me be the first to welcome you all to the City of Atlantis." Kida said, extending her arm towards the city. She then began leading Sora and the others across the bridge towards town.

**__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	32. Ch 90: Brawl in the Ancient City

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 90: Brawl in the Ancient City_**

Sora and the others strolled through the streets of the city, looking on in amazement at the giant ruins surrounding them and the flying fish cycles over head.

"Wow." Genis said. Raine was seeping over with excitement, her eyes sparkling brighter than the stars in the sky.

"I never thought this place actually existed. But...wow. It's just amazing." Kairi said. Kida chuckled.

"Yes. Well, Atlantis has gone through some very rough times. But we managed to pull through it. But without one man, this would never have been possible." Kida said. This "one man" intrigued Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"So...who is he?" Sora asked. Suddenly, everyone watched as one of the flying cycles was coming close down to the ground. Kida looked up and observed the rider, a young man with big lense glasses. She chuckled.

"Here he is now. Everyone? Meet Milo. Milo Thatch." Kida said. The flying fish landed and off stepped Milo. He saw Kida with Sora and the others.

"Hey there Kida. I guess our visitors have arrived already, huh? Too bad I wasn't there to greet with you." Milo said. Kida smiled.

"It is all right. You've been busy with repairs. But...it's good that you are here. I believe our friends need their answer to why they came here." Kida said. Milo nodded and glanced at Sora.

"So...from what I heard, you guys are looking for the way into Kingdom Hearts. Right?" Milo asked. Sora and the others nodded with tension in their eyes.

"Well, just follow me. There are some ruins up ahead that might answer everything. But...stay close. Lately, this place is just hectic with all the lively activity and repairs we're doing." Milo said. Milo led the others down the stone path and looked around at all the progress happening around them.

"So Milo...how long have you been here? You don't look like the other people in this town." Kairi asked. Milo chuckled.

"To tell the truth...I'm not even from around Atlantis. I actually am from the surface world. But...I guess you guys are too. My real home was in England." Milo said. Raine and Genis saw the statues being pulled up by the Atlantians.

"So...who are all of these statues being put up?" Genis asked. Milo glanced at them and said they were statues of the guardians of Atlantis. Kairi and Sora were amazed by the sheer number of them. Ventus looked towards the sky and saw a glowing blue light, orbited by giant stone faces. Aqua saw it too.

"And that up there?" Aqua asked. Milo looked up and smirked.

"That is the Heart of Atlantis. It's the very energy source keeping Atlantis alive. Once, someone I worked with to find this place tried to steal it. But he was corrupted and defeated, along with his plans of taking the heart." Milo said. Kairi sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. It must've been hard." Kairi said. Milo looked away.

"Well, not really. The guy had been doing stuff like that all of his life. He was just in our adventure for the money. Anyway, we're almost there. Just a bit farther." Milo said. They continued on, eventually finding themselves deep within an ancient ruin of the city. It was a large room surrounded by stones and on one of the walls was many words written in ancient Atlantian writing.

"So...is this it?" Ven asked. Milo nodded as Raine, gawking from sheer shock, slowly stepped forward.

"Incredible...can you not feel the history within these walls? Oh. It sets my heart a flutter." Raine said. Milo chuckled.

"I take it you like studying history too?" Milo asked. Genis slyly leaned to Milo.

"Hey...Milo? Friendly advice. Do NOT key up my sister while she's like this. She gets out of hand sometimes." Genis muttered. As Raine continued to look around with sparkle filled eyes, Sora examined the strange carvings on the wall. They showed a giant city, appearing to be filled with beautiful smaller houses and one giant majestic castle in the center of it all. A heart floated above.

"Milo...what's this?" Sora asked. Milo approached Sora.

"Oh. Yes. This is what Kida and I were supposed to show you. All right. You guys better listen well. This is how you're supposed to get into Kingdom Hearts." Milo said. Suddenly, everyone's attention turned to them and hurried to gather around them.

"All right. I'll read what it says. Luckily, I'm a bit of an expert with "gibberish" as my friends called it." Milo said. He put his fingers to each word as he read the passage:

_"The world of all worlds, the heart that created all...Kingdom Hearts. Though hidden to the eyes of many, it can only be unlocked by the heart of one who is purest of soul and strong hearted of all._

_The door remains locked to those who seek only power, but can open to one who bears many of the guardian's keys as well as the light of the seven maidens._

_In this world of secrets and wonders, only one way guarantees the safest route. The way into this magnificent world lies within the group of islands, where destinies unfold and new journeys begin. Venture deep into the ancient crypt of its guardians, bearers of the key, and thou shall find the doorway."_

After Milo finished, everyone started to put together the hints from the writing. Suddenly, Sora gasped as he visualized his home in his mind.

"No. It...It can't be. Guys! This...This is saying that the entrance to Kingdom Hearts...is on Destiny Islands! My home island!" Sora exclaimed. The others gasped.

"Me...Me too! I just came to that assumption too! How shocking!" Raine gasped. Genis couldn't believe his ears.

"And...this crypt of its guardians...that's the Keyblader Temple! The doorway to Kingdom Hearts was inside of that old temple this whole time!" Kairi exclaimed. Everyone looked on at the ancient drawings, seeing clear carvings of the Keyblade temple.

"No way. Guys! We've gotta get back to the others! This is huge!" Sora shouted. Donald couldn't help but agree. Suddenly, the room started rattling and shaking.

"Whoa! What's going on?" Goofy cried. Milo turned towards the wall, hearing the sound of something charging their way.

"Guys! DUCK!" Milo cried. Everyone yelled and fell to the floor, hearing a giant crash and watching bricks flying out ahead of them. Raine saw bits of the ancient writing being flung all around the room too, gawking in fright.

"No. NO! What...no. WHO could have DONE such a thing to these ancient ruins?" Raine asked. Genis got back up and turned around. He saw what appeared to be the helm of a large wooden ship rammed clean through the wall.

"Ehhhh...Raine? Why not try asking THEM?" Genis asked. Everyone looked and saw something starting to gather atop the ship's deck. Sora groaned.

"Oh no. Not THEM again." Sora said. On the deck of the ship was someone Sora knew, the villanous Captain Hook and his crewmate Smee.

"Ahoy there Keyblade whelps! We've finally caught up with ye scurvy savages!" Hook called. Sora groaned and everyone drew their weapons.

"You AGAIN?" Ventus asked. Hook saw Sora and Ventus.

"Ah! So we have two familiar faces showing themselves to me. Very well. Well then, I assure you know WHY we are here boy? For VENGEANCE!" Hook cried. Sora groaned.

"You! Look at what you did to this ancient relic! Have you no shame?" Raine growled. Hook looked back and saw the hole caused by their collision but merely laughed.

"These ancient relics are just dust and junk to me. We used this as a point of "surprise entrance". Smee! Assemble the Heartless!" Hook called. Smee saluted.

"Aye aye Cap'n!" Smee called. But as he hurried off, the door to the deck bursted open and Smee was hit by the door. A boy in a green suit came flying out, spooking Hook.

"Wh...What? NO! Peter Pan!" Hook snarled. Sora looked up and laughed, seeing Peter flying. He saw Sora and quickly landed at his side.

"Hey Sora! I never imagined seeing you." Peter said. Sora smiled and shook Peter's hand.

"What's you doing on Hook's ship Peter? Did he catch you?" Sora asked. Peter nodded.

"Yeah. But luckily, I got out in time to see all of you obviously." Peter said. Just then, Sora heard something else familiar.

"Well, isn't THIS a stroke of brilliant luck. Eh savvy?" a deep voice asked. Sora guffawed as he looked at the deck of the ship.

"No. It CAN'T be." Sora said. Hook turned around and growled.

"You! How did you two...? Eh?" Hook said. He was suddenly shoved aside and spun into a daze, falling on his rump. Someone else jumped down from Hook's deck and faced Sora and the others. It appeared to be a middle age man wearing a pirate get-up and red bandana on his head. It was Jack Sparrow.

"Jack!" Sora, Donald and Goofy cried. Jack smirked.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy...long time no see. What you've been up to boys?" Jack asked. Hook groaned and stood back up.

"Oh! So THAT'S how you want to be, huh? Heartless! GET THEM!" Hook cried. Suddenly, as Hook pointed down at Sora's group, they were surrounded by Heartless. Many were the Pirate, Air Pirate, Air Viking and Cannon Gun Heartless. Sora and the others gathered together.

"Well, won't THIS be a trip down memory lane? Hope you've still got those old tricks of yours Sora." Peter said. Sora chuckled, hoping Peter did too. Milo stood on the sidelines, stunned by the sheer number of Heartless around them.

**__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	33. Ch 91: The Final Preparations

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 91: The Final Preparations_**

Sora and the others looked around at the many Heartless around them, preparing for their first move. Hook waved his hand and the Heartless lunged for Sora's group. Suddenly, Jack raised his hand.

"Parley!" Jack called. Hook looked on with confusion.

"Wh...What?" Hook asked.

"Parley?" Aqua asked. Jack huffed.

"It be the rules of the pirates missy. Anyone who invokes "parley" cannot be harm until all negotiation is done." Jack said. But suddenly, one of the Heartless swung at Jack, causing him to leap back.

"Hey! What did I just say?" Jack asked. Hook huffed.

"Listen you. I don't know this "parley" mumbo jumbo. So...if you don't mind...I'll be continuing with THIS!" Hook shouted. The Heartless leaped at Sora's group, but they counterattacked and a fierce fight broke out. As Sora and Kairi swung their blades, they sent Heartless flying every direction. They evaporated when they collided into the wall.

"C'mon! Let's go Heartless! Take...THIS!" Genis called, casting magic and piercing the flying ones with rock slabs. Raine blasted waves of stars towards a group of Heartless, beaning them to the ground. Jack looked on as he was surrounded.

"Hmph. Don't think that little "incident" earlier makes me any pleased. No one breaks the rules of "parley"." Jack said. He charged with his blade and slashed away at them. Peter playfully flew to Hook, wagged his tounge in his face before yanking down Hook's hat.

"Dagh! Peter Pan!" Hook yelled. Peter flew up high laughing.

"Give it up Hook! Sora and I beat you last time! We can do it again!" Peter called. Hook snarled and plucked his hat off.

"Oh really? Well, this time, I'm more DEVIOUS!" Hook cried. He suddenly dashed towards a cannon on deck and aimed it at Peter.

"Smee! Load the cannons! Prepare to fire on Peter Pan!" Hook cried. Smee nodded and hurried to get a cannonball. Peter laughed and flew down. On the ground, Sora and the others were still sending the Heartless away.

"Man! These things come faster than we can exterminate them!" Ven groaned. Aqua slashed a Pirate down before turning to Ven.

"Ven!" she cried. Ven glanced at her and nodded.

"Let's do it Aqua!" Ven cried. Everyone watched as Ven and Aqua started to glow and soon were radiating in a gold and blue aura.

"Take THIS!" Aqua called. Aqua went into a burst of magical blasts as Ven was zipping around like a bullet, taking out each Heartless they hit. Jack stood in amazement.

"Some friends you've got there savvy." Jack said. Sora nodded. Both bladers came to a screeching stop after their attacks ended. Back on deck, Hook had a cannonball and aimed it at Peter.

"Whoa!" Peter called. Hook laughed.

"Take THIS!" Hook called, causing the ball to fire. But Peter avoided it and the cannonball ripped the sail of the ship. Hook growled.

"Oh yeah? Try and dodge this!" Hook cried. He gave a whistle and a large Cannon Gun Heartless appeared on the deck. Hook grasped it by its waist.

"Take this Peter Pan!" Hook called. Peter gasped and started flying as the Heartless rapidly fire cannonballs constantly at him. Peter was barely avoiding them as the barrage was coming faster and faster.

"Ha ha ha ha! You're MINE now Pan! I'm gonna blast a hole CLEAN through ya!" Hook laughed. Smee ducked down, trying to keep out of the line of fire.

"Whoa! Hook means business this time. Sora!" Peter called. Sora slashed down a Pirate before looking up at Peter.

"Hold on Peter!" Sora called. He dashed for the ship and leaped up a pile of rubble to get on the deck. He then came towards Hook and the Heartless.

"What? Ha! You want some too boy? Fine! Come and get me!" Hook called. But after avoiding the first attack together, Sora slid down and smacked the Heartless. The strike caused it to spin around like a top with Hook still clinging to it.

"GAH! Smee! Stop this thing!" Hook cried. Smee hurried to stop Hook and grasped onto the Heartless to slow down the speed. But when it stopped, the Heartless was dizzy and its top was now pointed at Hook.

"What? No! Don't fire!" Hook cried. But it was too late. The Heartless' attack went off and Hook was sent flying away like a rocket with Smee grasping to his coat.

"SMEE!" Hook exclaimed. Sora and Peter watched Hook fly out the hole in the wall and vanished from sight in a twinkle. The Heartless all looked on before turning back to Sora's group.

"So...what now?" Genis asked. One tried to back away, but it ended up bumping into Raine. It saw a fiery red aura around Raine. She suddenly grabbed it and put it over her knee, spanking it with all her might.

"This shall teach you not to do this to history! Understand?" Raine asked, slapping the Heartless rapidly. The Heartless fled in fear, even the one Raine was swatting at, before Raine turned her attention to Hook's ship.

"Now then. It's time we cleaned up this mess." Raine said. Everyone watched as, with sheer might, Raine grabbed the ship's hull and pushed it out with great force. It was flying off in the same direction as Hook. Sora was in sheer shock.

"Yeah. My sister can get that way when it comes to ruins. That's why I tell ya not to egg her on in that state." Genis said. Soon enough, Milo had to close off the chamber and pass word of its needed repairs. As they did, Sora was speaking with Jack and Peter.

"Hey. How did you even get on Hook's ship Jack?" Sora asked.

"Heh. That be that Hook fellow's fault. The lot comes out of nowhere and suddenly attacks, claiming to be searching for "new crew" or what not. I only was along the ship accidentally at the moment, figuring that any bloak who was crazy enough as him would be related to you." Jack said. Sora groaned.

"Sheesh Jack. Rude much?" Sora asked. Peter explained that Hook had taken the Lost Boys back home and he gave in to save them. But Peter had no idea that Hook's ship would find Sora.

"That Hook fellow must not be a real pirate. No pirate in the WORLD wouldn't dare not know about parley." Jack said. Sora and Peter chuckled.

"Sora! We gotta get back to the others quick! We've got to tell them what we found!" Goofy shouted. Sora nodded.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Donald squawked. Sora turned to Peter and Jack.

"You two are pretty much off world as it is. So...can you lend your help to us for this one time?" Sora asked. Peter huffed.

"Of course I can." Peter said, shaking Sora's hand. Jack huffed too, saying he figured there would be no other way around it.

"But what's there in it for me then?" Jack asked. Sora stopped and tapped his chin.

"How about not getting your own world destroyed by Heartless? That should be enough." Sora said. Jack smirked.

"Very well. Lead on savvy." Jack said. Sora nodded and led everyone else back towards the ships. Kairi thanked Kida before joining them.

"Good luck children! You are the saviors of Kingdom Hearts! Do not give up!" Kida called. As Ven and Aqua boarded their boards, the Gummi Ship took off with them following close behind. It took at least an hour before they returned to Radiant Gardens.

"All right guys. Come on. Time to tell the others." Sora said. He and the others hurried to both the restoration committee, Sora's team and Ansem, telling them to gather in the center of town. Sora and Kairi then passed on what they learned from Atlantis to them.

"What? The doorway was in the temple the whole time?" Riku asked. Sora nodded.

"I guess this will be it. This is the end of the road." Rinoa said. Leon crossed his arms, staring on at Sora with Cloud and the others at his side.

"Sora...this will no doubt be the hardest fight you've ever had. You guys better be ready for this." Leon said. Hercules chuckled and clasped his fists.

"Of course we are! We've been ready for this since we've joined." Hercules said. Jack Skellington nodded, saying he'd happily help out.

"It's time we made the Heartless PAY for destroying our home world. We're taking it back, right guys?" Lloyd asked. His friends all cheered together.

"Hmph. Ready whenever you are." Seifer said. Yuffie chuckled and told Sora she'd happily assist in any way possible.

"We all would Sora. All we need now is your guidance." Aerith said. Sora nodded, facing everyone in his team. He could see the likes of Lilo, Stitch, Bolt, Max, Hercules, Doofenshmirtz, Perry and his other teammates standing proudly together.

"All right. Guys? I probably don't need to say this. But this is the reason that you've come together for. These Heartless have been terrorizing our homes for far too long. Because of them, worlds have been lost and bonds nearly broken." Sora said. Everyone kept eyes locked onto Sora.

"But now...it's time we finally end this battle. We'll finally eradicate the Heartless at whatever source they're coming from! For freedom of all worlds, we shall destroy these ties of darkness and replace them with ties of light!" Sora exclaimed. Everyone cried out "Freedom!" together, raising their arms. Aqua, Ven, Roxas, Axel and the other pre-Nobodies cheered with them. Alice and Decus were also cheering.

"Then...onward team! To Kingdom Hearts and to the end of all Heartless!" Sora called. Suddenly, everyone saw Mickey and Cid arrive.

"Hey Sora. Sorry we're late for the pep rally. But...I thought we ought to say one thing." Cid said. Sora and the others looked on questionably.

"Welp, let's just say...you've got a more BIGGER army than you thought." Mickey said. Mickey and Cid stepped aside, showing something amazing to Sora. Behind them was Hayner, Pence, Olette, Rai and Fuu, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Quasimodo and Simba.

"Heh! Guess they all wanna pay you back for helping them out too!" Cid laughed.

"Sora! Come on! Let's go kick some Heartless butts!" Hayner cried. Wakka laughed.

"Now that we know the truth about you guys, no way are we gonna let you fight alone! We'll fight alongside you too!" Wakka called.

"We believe in you Sora! You saved our islands! We want to repay you!" Selphie called. Rai yelled loudly, completely pumped for this.

"C'mon! Time to stop all these crazy shennanigans, ya know?" Rai asked.

"Termination." Fuu muttered. Sora looked towards the back of the crowd and saw the committe members and Ansem raise their hands.

"Allow us to help you Sora. It's the least we can do to pay you back for all you've done for us." Leon said. Sora nodded.

"Okay then. I say it's about time. It's time for the Dark Knight, Vanitas and ALL Heartless to lose their ambition of world conquest FOREVER!" Sora cried. The large crowd cheered wildly in the streets. Mickey could tell this would be big and automatically sent a message out via radio to Minnie at the castle, asking her to send the biggest Gummi Ship they had to Radiant Gardens. This would be the start of the biggest battle in history since the Keyblade War.

**__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	34. Ch 92: Invading the Islands

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 92: Invading the Islands_**

In the darkest reaches of an unknown world, the Dark Knight was standing atop a large platform overseeing a giant bottomless crater. Dark energy was radiating out from it and the land around it was ravenged from the destruction. The skies over the mysterious world were shown to be pitch black with bolts of lightning above.

"It is almost time. Soon, you shall be set free." the knight said. Suddenly, Vanitas was seen walking up from behind.

"Hey. It's Sora. He and his little friends finally found their way to Kingdom Hearts and are on their way right now." Vanitas said. The knight groaned and turned back to Vanitas.

"Let them come. I think it is about time Sora and I end this once and for all. You've played your part. But now it is my turn." the knight said. He then walked off, leaving Vanitas alone on the platform. Vanitas took one look at the large abyss before walking off himself. Meanwhile, Sora and the others were en route to Destiny Islands aboard the largest of Disney Castle's Gummi Ships, holding all of Sora's friends inside.

"Destiny Islands...here we come." Sora said. He looked back at his teammates, controversing with each other and planning possible strategies. Behind him also was the other Princesses of Heart.

"It's a good thing we rounded up the other princesses, right?" Riku asked. Sora nodded, saying they were gonna need them if they would get into Kingdom Hearts.

"It's all come down to this. It's time we ended this fight once and for all." Ven thought, seeing Sora up front. The ship was suddenly beginning its approach towards Destiny Islands. Cid was at the controls alongside Yuffie and Leon as he gave the signal.

"All right everyone. Look sharp. We're just about to enter Destiny Islands' atmosphere. Prepare for landing." Cid said. Everyone took a seat and strapped in for the landing. But as they were preparing, Leon and Yuffie saw something.

"Leon...look." Yuffie said. Leon groaned.

"Oh no." Leon said. They saw a strange black ring glowing around Destiny Islands.

"Cid, you'd better relay this to the others. We're not gonna be smoothly sailing in after all." Leon said. Cid typed away at the panel and brought up the image of Destiny Islands to the others. Everyone looked on in sheer shock.

"Whoa. What's that dark ring around the world?" Lilo asked. Stitch couldn't tell what it was.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Cloud said. Cid then sent a small visual robot down to the surface of the world. Everyone observed what the robot was picking up.

"Sora? You don't think the knight is expecting us, do you?" Kairi asked. Sora looked on.

"Figuring about how far we've come now...I bet he already has." Sora said. Just then, they were getting a clean visual. But the visual was not to their liking. According to the robot's broadcast, the islands were overflooding with Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed.

"Heartless...Nobodies...Unversed too? D'oh! It's a madhouse down there!" Sora shouted. Ventus and Aqua couldn't believe it, Richter and the others groaned.

"So much for a smooth landing." Axel said. Roxas looked over at Naminé, seeing her worrying that the rest of Organization XIII has returned.

"Naminé? If you're scared, don't worry. We're all right here." Roxas said. Naminé glanced at Roxas and lightly nodded. Xion wondered how many of the people on Destiny Islands have already fallen.

"No. Our home." Selphie said. Tidus and Wakka were speechless. But suddenly, admist all the quiet, Sora stood up.

"Okay guys. Judging from this view of the world, we're obviously heading into one giant nest of monsters. But we've come this far and no way are a bunch of low classed creatures like them are gonna stop us. If we can get to the Keyblade Haven and access the doorway in time, we won't have to deal with many of them." Sora said. Everyone quietly looked on at Sora.

"Cid? Take us down. We're going in." Sora said. Cid nodded and the ship started to descend towards the world. Outside the windows, everyone saw the world getting closer and closer. Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"Now then...let's go guys. The minute the hatch doors open and we step foot on the islands, clear a clean path for everyone to follow." Sora said. Some of Sora's team nodded, showing their weapons as well. In about five minutes, the Gummi Ship landed on Destiny Islands' beachy shore, on the same island as the Keyblade temple.

"Get ready guys. Opening the front door right...now." Leon said, pressing a button. The nearby Heartless heard the ship's gears whir and looked on. But just as the door was fully opened, they heard yelling. Sora and his friends came charging out of the ship with their weapons out and charged for the forest.

"Now guys! Let's move! Go! Go!" Riku exclaimed. Ventus lead a group into attacking the ganging Heartless. Soon, Nobodies were on their way towards the battlefield. But they were cut off by Axel and another group.

"Get lost ya worthless trash! We're not here for YOU!" Axel cried, throwing his fire chakras and scorching the Nobodies. Suddenly, Thrasher Unversed arrived and faced Aqua.

"Bolt! Now!" Aqua cried. Bolt stormed ahead of her and lunged into the air. He came down fast and his impact quaked the field, sending the Unversed flying. Jack entertained the local Heartless with a juggle of magical blasts alongside Raine. Richter drew his blade and called for Aqua.

"Let's go Aqua! Payback time!" Richter growled. Aqua nodded and transformed into her hydra form. Richter went to town on the Heartless while Aqua lashed out with blasts of water. Hercules ripped a tree from the ground and swung it at a group of Unversed, sending them flying.

"HOME RUN!" Herc called. But suddenly, Phil gasped.

"Kid! Behind ya!" Phil cried. Hercules turned and was ambushed by Flood Unversed. But a Thundaga spell from Donald evaporated them.

"Herc! You okay?" Donald cried. Sora and Riku unleashed a Session attack and cleared a giant group of Heartless in one clean shot.

"C'mon Riku! Kairi! This way!" Sora called. As Kairi followed Sora, Riku whistled to Aqua and Ventus, leading them his way too. Roxas saw Riku making a break and followed after assisting Xion with Nobodies.

"Let's go boys!" Mickey called. He led Donald and Goofy after Sora and the other Keybladers. Lloyd was surrounded by Heartless and Unversed.

"All right you. Time to pay for what you did to my HOME!" Lloyd cried. He drew his swords and started slashing the enemies down left and right. Stitch charged into the fray, leaping from Doofenshmirtz's shoulders and biting on the head of an Unversed.

"Abla GATA!" Stitch cried. Lilo was swatting a Shadow Heartless with a wooden plank.

"Take THAT! And that! And that!" Lilo exclaimed. Suddenly, she looked back and saw a group of Soldier Heartless charging her way. She screamed and ducked, unknowing that she was saved by a sudden attack from Marta and Colette. Regal feverishly kicked Nobodies around as Cloud and Jack Sparrow joined in a double sworded onslaught.

"Where's Sora?" Cloud cried. Rinoa and Leon struck down a Neoshadow as Rikku was being chased by an Archraven Unversed.

"Okay girls! NOW!" Rikku called. She suddenly ducked under the Unversed, leaving it stupidly to charge into a surprise attack from Paine and Yuna. Monotrucker and Buckle Bruiser Unversed suddenly arrived.

"Hmph. It's showtime boys." Vincent said, drawing his gun and firing. Deep in the forest, Sora and the other Keybladers were on a desperate chase towards the temple.

"Everyone is doing a good job distracting the enemy. I haven't seen one Heartless so far!" Riku shouted. But suddenly, something emerged from the ground and roared. It was the giant black snake Heartless from their first visit.

"Gah! It...It...It's HIM again!" Kairi cried. Everyone summoned their Keyblades as the snake hissed and lunged at them.

"No way are you getting in our way! Now MOVE!" Ven cried, leading the charge. Roxas was close behind as Ven leaped at the monster's head and slashed. Roxas leaped up next.

"Take THIS!" Roxas exclaimed, summoning two Keyblades and hacking away at the snake's nose. Sora and Riku led an attack from the ground, but the snake swung its giant tail and drove them back. Aqua started shooting magical bullets from afar, stabbing the beast in the eyes.

"Move aside!" Aqua called. Ven suddenly started to glow as he unleashed a Speed Rave on the Heartless. The beast roared and slammed Ven with its giant tail.

"Ven!" Xion cried. She growled and came charging next. She took a giant leap in the air and, catching the Heartless offguard, slammed its head straight into the ground.

"Sora! Finish it!" Xion called. Sora grabbed his Keyblade and charged.

"This is for LAST TIME!" Sora shouted, leaping into the air. He grasped the Keyblade's handle tightly and thrusted it into the head of the Heartless. It hissed and screeched in pain.

"Yes!" Kairi thought. The Heartless flailed around before evaporating and showing the Keyblade Haven just a while away. They continued down the path.

"Almost there! Hurry!" Sora shouted.

"We're gonna make it!" Donald squawked. Sora's group successfully made it inside and rushed down the halls, pulling out the Keyblader artifacts.

"Hope this is enough." Sora thought. Outside, Cid and Aerith safely led the Princesses of Heart to the temple, taken by a different route than Sora.

"All right ladies. Go on ahead. Sora needs you." Cid said. Aerith kept watch, unaware that Heartless were starting to arrive. As Cid got Jasmine past, Aerith gasped and pointed out a group of Heartless.

"Heh. Guess they want to target us now? Fine by me." Cid said. Inside the haven, Michael patiently walked back and forth. He soon heard the sounds of feet running towards him and saw Sora's group arrive.

"Ah. Good. You're here. Phew. I thought the sight of all that darkness amassing outside would've delayed you worse than I thought." Michael said. Sora, Kairi and Riku revealed the artifacts they collected.

"Michael? Is this enough to open the door? We've found out the doorway to Kingdom Hearts is here in the temple." Riku asked. Michael looked at all of the artifacts and nodded.

"Yes. It will. I too have gone world visiting and managed to save a few Keybladers myself. Come. We must hurry." Michael said. Suddenly, they all heard the sound of the princesses coming up right behind them.

"Sora...is everything ready? We must open that doorway now." Cinderella asked.

"Everyone else is fighting hard outside. If we don't get the door open soon, who knows how worse it will get." Aurora added. Sora nodded.

"All right everyone. This way. We'll conduct the door's opening in here." Michael said. He called forth his Keyblade and fired a beam of light at a wall. The beam triggered an old mechanism and a doorway opened, showing a large chamber beyond the wall.

"Bring the artifacts in here and we'll draw from the Keyblader's power to open a gateway. Ladies? You'll need to help too." Michael said. Everyone nodded and followed him inside. Standing before them was a large podium with a giant stone ring around it. There were strange little markings on the ring, about the same shape and size as the Keyblader artifacts.

"Put your Keyblades here and we'll begin the procedure." Michael said. Sora and the others called for their blades and stuck them into parts of the stone podium. The artifacts were placed on the ring around it as the princesses circled around.

"Now...we need to feed the princesses light into the podium and, by channeling it through the blades, the artifacts should be able to pierce the lock and open the door to Kingdom Hearts." Michael said. But suddenly, there was a loud explosion coming from outside.

"What? Where did THAT come from?" Roxas gasped. Back on the beach, the explosion was caused by a Unversed exploding itself. But even as Axel slashed down another Nobody, an eerie prescence was felt. He quickly turned around and gasped. Behind him was a man in a long white cloak, carrying a large Claymore weapon. With long blue hair sticking out from his coat, it was Saix.

"Hello again...Axel. Or should I call you...Lea now?" Saix asked, flashing his Claymore.

**__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	35. Ch 93: Friends No More

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 93: Friends No More_**

The battle on the islands raged on with everyone of Sora's team giving it all they had against the Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed. Sora's forces were slaying each dark monster as it approached.

"There's like...no end to these things." Marta panted. Decus slashed down an Unversed and caught his breath.

"Don't they have any end to them? Where are they coming from?" he thought. Deep in the forest, Cid and Aerith were able to drive away Heartless using some of Cid's weapons.

"There. I think that's all of 'em. Sora...hurry down there. Who knows how many more of these freaks are gonna come popping up." Cid thought. In the temple, the entire room felt the quakes and rattles of the fight raging on outside.

"Whoa! The battle is getting intense out there!" Sora exclaimed. Kairi and Riku looked on, worried about what everyone else was experiencing right now.

"Sora, what are we gonna do? If this keeps up, the Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed could overwhelm the others." Riku asked. Sora groaned.

"I don't know. We're so close...but we have to keep pressing on. That's probably what everyone else would want us to do at this point." Sora said, turning to the podium as it was shooting a beam of light towards the back wall. Up above, Axel clashed weapons with Saix, constantly shielding himself from the giant claymore that he swung.

"Saix! Stop this! What are you doing?" Axel exclaimed. Saix huffed and swung again, knocking one of Axel's chakras away and striking him down.

"Don't think you don't know traitor. I'm here to cease your efforts to break into Kingdom Hearts. But as for me attacking, I think it's painfully clear why...you abandoned your REAL friend." Saix said. Axel gasped.

"What? That again? Look Saix. Just because Roxas and I became pals in the Organization, that DOESN'T mean..." Axel said. But his sentence was cut off by Saix attacking again.

"No more excuses. This is the end Axel." Saix said. He roared as his claymore opened up and his hair started to turn wild. He was going into his rage mode.

"Moon! Shine down!" Saix cried. Axel gasped and called back his chakras before Saix started to attack violently with his claymore. Axel did his best to counter each strike, but without any way of retaliating at Saix, he was at the mercy of his rage mode.

"This will teach you! You dumped me for two strangers you never met!" Saix roared. Axel groaned, thinking back to Organization XIII and his friendship with Roxas and Xion.

"Listen Saix...maybe you still don't have a heart, but I can tell you're hurt about this!" Axel shouted. Saix snarled.

"Don't act like you've just realized this!" Saix exclaimed. His violent attacks also added to the shaking down in the temple. Roxas could sense Axel was in distress.

"What? Is that...Is that Axel? I can feel it. He's in trouble." Roxas said. He looked to the podium before suddenly ripping his Keyblade back out and charging out.

"Wait! Roxas! Where are you going? Come back!" Kairi exclaimed. Xion thought Roxas was going back for Axel and she hurried along behind him. But she also took her Keyblade back out from the podium.

"Oh great. This is going to disrupt everything!" Aqua exclaimed. The podium's power was showing signs of weakening, even with the princesses giving their strength. Suddenly, Michael summoned his Keyblade and placed it where Roxas took out his. Mickey also filled the gap of Xion's blade with his own.

"We have to keep this up. We're almost through." Michael thought. As Roxas and Xion raced back towards the beach, the Heartless were soon starting to multiply faster. Some of the others found themselves outmatched by their sheer numbers.

"Gah! Too many of them! We're getting outnumbered!" Hercules exclaimed. Stitch growled and lunged at an Unversed, rolling across the dirt with it. Quasimodo grabbed a Heartless and threw it over his shoulder as Hayner, Pence and Olette were assisting Leon and Yuffie.

"This is getting out of hand! What's taking Sora so long?" Leon groaned. On the beach, Axel jumped constantly from Saix as he kept drawing closer with his claymore.

"Saix! Listen to me! Will ya just STOP for one second and listen?" Axel shouted. But Saix continued to attack, not letting up and eventually striking Axel down again. Axel stopped to catch his breath, still facing Saix as his claymore pointed directly at him.

"This is what happens when you betray a real friend. This is the END!" Saix exclaimed. But just as he swung his claymore again, it was stopped by a Keyblade shielding Axel. It was Roxas.

"Roxas?" Axel gasped. Saix growled.

"Leave...Axel...ALONE!" Roxas shouted. He knocked away Saix's weapon before quickly striking him and skidding him back.

"Roxas! Axel!" Xion cried. She saw Saix skidding at her and quickly attacked, knocking Saix skyward and kept running to the others. Roxas and Xion quickly helped Axel back on his feet.

"Thanks guys." Axel said. Saix groaned and called his claymore again.

"Great. As if I had enough pests already, now you two return? Fine. If you want to be with your "friends" Axel, allow me to return you two back to the Realm of Darkness!" Saix shouted. He suddenly started to glow a black aura, showing signs of becoming more beastly in the face.

"Saix? What's he...doing?" Roxas asked. Suddenly, darkness erupted all around Saix and engulfed him. A flaming orb of darkness surrounded Saix until he broke free of it. However, when he did, he was now larger than before. His coat was torn to shreds and his body was more muscular and colossal to that of Axel. He gave a loud roar, showing signs of becoming a Lifeless.

"Oh no. Not you too Saix. You've become...a Lifeless." Axel thought. Saix chuckled and told the others that he was crossed with the power of a Dark Thorn Heartless, accounting his immense size. But he suddenly summoned his claymore, showing it twice as big as earlier.

"Now...you can all perish before me! DIE!" Saix exclaimed. He roared and came charging for Axel, but Roxas and Xion shielded with their Keyblades at the first swing. But Saix's swings came more violent and savage than earlier, knocking the two bladers aside as he lunged at Axel.

"Grrr! Saix! You DOLT!" Axel exclaimed. He called his chakras and avoided Saix's attack. He then started glowing red and the chakras spun, surrounding him and Saix in a barrier of fire.

"Let's settle this matter right now...old FRIEND!" Axel yelled. Saix roared and swung again, but Axel leaped into the wall of fire.

"Where are you? SHOW YOURSELF!" Saix exclaimed. Suddenly, he felt a sharp strike to his back as Axel raced out and stabbed him with his chakras. Saix turned around to attack, but Axel jumped back.

"Take THAT!" Axel exclaimed, lunging from the flames and slamming Saix to the floor. The fire around them started to nip at Saix. But Saix wasn't slowing down one instant.

"So...it IS true. You'd rather have them as your friends instead of someone you've known as a human." Saix said. Axel groaned.

"The only reason I started hanging out with Roxas and Xion more was because you were NOT the person I knew YOU as. You're nothing but a puppet Saix! Xemnas was just manipulating you!" Axel shouted. Saix roared and came charging.

"You fool! You're the one who has forgotten our friendship! And for that...you will PAY!" Saix exclaimed. But as he raised his claymore over his head and prepared to swing down at him, Roxas and Xion leaped back at Saix.

"Get away from Axel!" they exclaimed. Axel groaned and prepared another attack as Saix was busy glaring at Roxas and Xion. Saix growled.

"Stay out of this you worthless maggots! You are ALL traitors!" Saix roared. But the second he turned around, Axel used his chakras to ignite with fire and slashed a giant slash across Saix's back. That left him open for Roxas and Xion to drive their Keyblades into Saix's chest, piercing the beast's body.

"GAAAHHH!" Saix roared. The two attacks caused him to topple over, crashing into the sandy beaches. Axel, Roxas and Xion stood around Saix, observing him growing back to his human form.

"Isa...I'll never forget you." Axel muttered. A quiet wind whisped across the beach, blowing at Saix gently. He groaned and glared at Axel.

"Lea...why?" Saix asked "Why did you...leave me?" Axel sighed.

"You weren't you Isa. You became too corrupt by the Organization. I felt...like we were growing apart. So what if I made new friends? That doesn't mean I forgot you." Axel said. Saix looked on, not saying another word.

"You're my best friend Isa. No way does having new friends mean I've replaced you. Got that? Or is it still "no heart, no feelings" for you guys. Huh?" Axel asked. Saix huffed.

"Lea...you...rational little...fool." Saix muttered. Axel smirked.

"Isa...can't you give me a little...praise for once?" Axel chuckled. Saix smiled.

"Heh. The only way...I'd do that...is if...you actually...made...something...of yourself." he said. After that, Saix's eyes lightly closed and his body broke apart into bits of darkness. Axel and the others stood and watched.

"Goodbye...old friend." Axel muttered. Back in the temple, the temple was really beginning to rattle as the door was breaking open.

"We're almost there! Everyone prepare to transport!" Michael called. The wall started to shake and rattle, showing a glowing, majestic portal manifesting itself on the wall. The charms then started to come alive and surround Sora, taking the forms of the Keyblade spirits. Sora and the others also saw their Keyblades return to them.

"Now...feed your strength into the door Sora. Only your powers together can break the final lock." Michael said. Sora nodded. Without a sound, everyone raised their Keyblades and fired into the doorway. A lock was heard clicking open and suddenly, a giant flash of light started to engulf the entire temple. It then seeped out onto the islands itself, engulfing the entire island. The Heartless and other denizens of darkness were eradicated on the spot.

"Wow! Would ya look at that! Everything is glowing like a Christmas tree bulb. What the...? WAH!" Doofenshmirtz shouted. The giant orb of light continued engulfing every part of the island. When the light faded, the only ones still on the island were Hayner, Pence, Olette, Rai, Fuu, Wakka, Tidus and Selphie.

"Whoa. What a flash. That was awesome, ya know?" Rai asked. Suddenly, everyone else looked around.

"Wait. Where are Sora and the others?" Olette asked. They feverishly looked around, not seeing the others around for miles. But unknown to them, Sora and the others found themselves rocketing across a portal of bright light.

"Sora! Where are we going?" Emil called.

"We must be heading towards Kingdom Hearts!" Sora exclaimed. The others looked on, seeing a glowing light at the end of the tunnel.

"Hang on guys! Here we go!" Riku exclaimed. Everyone braced for impact, shielding themselves with their arms as they went bursting through the light at the path's end. They were suddenly transported down to the ground of the new world.

"Is everyone all right?" Raine asked.

"Yeah. We're fine. We all made it." Aqua said. Sora and the others looked on ahead, gasping at the sight before them.

"Uhhh...guys?" Sora asked. The rest turned to look ahead, gasped at the sight also. They saw a large, majestic kingdom covered by pitch black storm clouds. The giant castle, radiating a glowing heart above it, was seen floating in the air. There were multiple trees surrounding the village, dead from the lack of light. Lightning flashed overhead, showing dead black grass at their feet.

"Is...Is this...Kingdom Hearts?" Kairi asked. Riku crossed his arms.

"It must be." he said. As lightning continued to flash, Aqua and Ventus looked on in awe.

"What happened to this place? Mom..." Kairi muttered.

"This is it. This is where we'll settle things. Vanitas, here we come." Ventus thought. Everyone merely stood in their place, observing the nightmare that had befallen the once beautiful world.

**__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	36. Ch 94: Living a Cursed Existence

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 94: Living A Cursed Existence_**

Sora and friends continued on, looking down the barren fields at the city before them. As they looked around them, they saw the world around them was slowly dying, covered by the thick black clouds up above. Kairi could not believe that this world was so infested with dark energy.

"No way. I never imagined...this was what Kingdom Hearts actually looks like." Aqua muttered. Ventus nodded.

"What the heck happened? I thought Kingdom Hearts would be all...you know. Sunny and bright. But this...THIS is just wrong." Genis asked. Raine saw all the dying plants around them.

"To think...Kingdom Hearts really is darkness." Raine said. But Kairi turned to everyone, showing signs of crying.

"No! This can't be. Don't say stuff like that Raine! My home is NOT some barren dump that Heartless inhabit. It's just not!" Kairi called. Suddenly, Riku felt an eerie chill race down his spine.

"Uhhh...guys? Do you feel that?" Riku asked. Doofenshmirtz looked around, as did Hercules and the others.

"No. I feel just fi...i...INE! GHOSTS!" Doofenshmirtz screamed, leaping onto Hercules. Pete gasped and stepped back, standing behind Donald and Goofy.

"Ghost? Where?" Mickey asked. Everyone drew their weapons and glanced around. But they saw nothing.

"What? There's nothing there." Lloyd said. Everyone turned to Doofenshmirtz.

"What? Look. I know what I saw. And I felt it too!" Doof shouted. Everyone else groaned.

"Forget the psycho doctor and let's just keep going Sora." Richter said. Auron agreed, saying he didn't feel like hearing anymore stupid remarks.

"Oh. SURE. I make ONE little remark like that and you all label me. Hmph." Doofenshmirtz huffed. Sora shook his head and continued leading the others down the path. As they moved on, a glowing blue figure was seen observing them from behind a tree.

"She has returned...Princess Kairi..." a voice said. They continued on until they came to the town surrounding the castle. Just like the field before it, the town was mostly destroyed, ravenged by some unseen evil. All the buildings were abandoned, making it seem as if the entire world was a ghost town.

"This place...it feels so cold and lonely." Marta said. Emil nodded.

"Whoa. I never thought I'd see another sad sight like this." Decus thought "Me and Alice have already seen enough of that. But this...this is spooky." As everyone looked around the abandoned town, something whooshed nearby and caught Xion's attention.

"Hmm? Xion? What's the matter?" Roxas asked. Xion quickly hushed him.

"What? What is it?" Axel asked. Xion pointed towards a dark alleyway.

"I...I thought I just saw something zip down that alley. You think it could be an inhabitant of this world?" Xion whispered. Jack Skellington approached the pathway and peered down.

"I can't tell. It's too dark." Jack said. But suddenly, Jack Sparrow approached while carrying a flare gun.

"Well, of course it's DARK. Any half wit can see that savvy. Allow me to shed a little "light" on the subject." he said. He pointed the rifle down the hall and fired, sending the flare rocketing off and lighting up the alley. When it hit the back wall, the sudden burst of lumination showed a glowing blue figure. Doofenshmirtz shrieked again and jumped in the air, landing on Hercules' shoulders.

"Gah! See? I told you! GHOSTS!" he exclaimed. Emil and Marta gasped, soon seeing that other ghosts were approaching them. Everyone drew their weapons as Tenebrae and Aqua floated nearby Emil and Richter.

"Great. We come to this world looking for inhabitants...and all we get are ghosts?" Richter asked. Everyone gathered together.

"Naminé? Stay behind me. This could get ugly." Roxas said. Naminé nodded and backed behind Roxas. Raine looked on, seeing the ghosts were vaguely human shaped and gave off strange bluish glows.

"Gawrsh. Are these REALLY the people who live in Kingdom Hearts?" Goofy asked. Donald grew a firm stare as he eyed the ghosts.

"Come on Goofy! Let's get 'em!" Donald squawked. But as they were preparing to attack, one of the ghosts stopped and raised a hand.

"Wait! Don't attack!" a woman cried. Sora and others faced the crying out ghost and saw it was a middle age woman, dressed in a royal gown and bearing a crown on her head. Kairi gasped, recognizing her as the woman from the message she received at Pixie Hollow.

"M...Mom?" Kairi asked. Sora, Riku and Genis looked on with shock.

"Mom? THAT'S your mom?" they shouted. The woman gasped and floated over to Kairi.

"Kairi! Oh! It is you! Sweetheart!" she cried. Kairi didn't know whether to feel happy or feared, seeing as her mother was now a floating phantom.

"Leon. What do you think's going on?" Yuffie muttered. Leon shook his head, saying he didn't really know. Everyone lowered their guard as the ghosts soon were actually the souls of Kingdom Hearts' inhabitants.

"So all of you guys are from this world?" Axel asked. They nodded.

"Yes. It's been a while since we've seen the likes of the living." one said. Regal believed that would be very true considering the likes of their world now.

"Ah. Yes. It was our own faults. If we hadn't have gone and gotten so druken up on the warmth the light brought us, those monsters would never have come." another said. Sora figured by "monsters", this man was speaking of the Heartless.

"Tell us. What's happened here? Why is your world in such ruin?" Raine asked. The queen sighed, saying she would rather explain all at the castle. They looked up at the palace floating in the sky and soon followed the queen and the other phantoms inside.

"Well, this is a first. We're really inside a "haunted" house." Cloud said. While the castle itself floated and the ghosts could float up to the gates, Sora's group had to use warp panels to bring themselves up to the palace grounds. They followed the queen inside and saw the darkened halls of the castle. Along the walls were decorative colorful wallpaper as beautiful crystals lined the walls and ceilings. But without the light radiating in them, the castle was nothing.

"I bet this place would look a lot prettier lit up." Lilo said. Stitch agreed, as did Bolt and Seifer. The queen brought everyone into the meeting room where everyone saw many chairs lined up on a ruby red clothed table. Inside already was another phantom, an eldery man pacing back and forth across the halls. He saw the queen and gasped.

"Your Highness! Yo...You're back." he said. He then saw Sora's group and gasped.

"And...you have intruders?" he asked. Sora seemed surprised.

"Intruders? We're here to save your hides, not invade it." Seifer huffed. Kairi then looked on at the man.

"Wait. I...think I know you. Aren't you...the royal vizer?" she asked. Aladdin figured this man was similar to Jafar was back home. The man cleared his throat.

"Yes. That is right. I am Queen Solerra's official royal vizer who oversees this land's progress and balance. Now...who are you?" he asked. The queen sighed.

"Don't you recognize her? It's my daughter, Princess Kairi." she said. The vizer looked on and gasped.

"Oh. Wh...Why yes. It's her. Princess Kairi has returned!" he exclaimed. Everyone joined the queen in sitting down at the table. Kairi and Sora sat closest to the queen.

"Well, now that you're all here, I assume you are wondering about what is happening in our world." the queen said. Leon nodded.

"Please...your Majesty...we wish to know." Rinoa said.

"It all began centuries ago...when Kingdom Hearts was first formed. Our land was not so fruitful at first. We begged with the guardians of our world to bring their majestic light upon us and save our town. They graciously gave us that power." she explained. As the queen went on, everyone tried to imagine what the world looked like back then.

"As our land blossomed and our people bathed in the light, we were at peace for what felt like eons. However, our people began to grow greedy, wanting this feeling all for themselves. That feeling grew and grew until most of our world was consumed by it. Finally, that greed erupted into darkness...and the monsters, denizens of pure evil, were born." she said. Kairi figured that must've been the flashback she had early on.

"And by monsters of darkness...you mean the Heartless." Cloud asked. The queen nodded, saying if that is what they called them now.

"Yeah. Heartless are beings of darkness without any hearts. They ravenge other worlds...looking for hearts to devour." Leon said. The vizer gasped.

"Other worlds? How would YOU know about the other worlds? We made it so that you COULDN'T know about the other worlds." the vizer exclaimed.

"The Heartless created dark pathways for them to cross between worlds and...we use our own paths to break through the world's boundaries to help and protect them." Aqua explained. The vizer merely groaned.

"How insulting. To think that all of you lolly gagging folk got here because you broke OUR rules." the vizer said. Seifer growled, quickly calmed down by Richter.

"Well, if we didn't break the rules, how else would we have gotten here?" Lloyd asked. The vizer huffed.

"Maybe you shouldn't have. I mean, I'm already offended enough that you all could just cross over between worlds and break the world order by interferring. Why I never." he said. The queen sighed, apologizing for his grumpy behavior. But suddenly, the vizer turned to Aqua and Ventus.

"And as for you, bearers of the Keyblade...that's right. I KNOW you two are Keyblade wielders. I'm offended that you all would break the rules as well. Since we brought the Keyblades INTO this world, we only gave them to those who would enforce the world order! But you all...oh ho. You all go and ruin it." he said. Ventus growled.

"Look here you old coot! Don't talk to us that way! If it wasn't for us, the worlds would be engulfed by darkness right now!" Ventus exclaimed. The vizer eyed Ventus with an angry scowl.

"You want to start something child? Huh?" he asked. Ventus growled again, ignoring Aqua trying to calm him down.

"I think we SHOULD thank you all for bringing Princess Kairi back. But now...you must all leave this world at once and never come back. Let US handle this mess." the vizer said. But the queen utterly rejected his proposal, saying they're the only ones who can help now.

"But...But your Majesty..." he said. The queen's word was final, enforcing it with her strong glare.

"My friends...I apologize for his behavior. My royal vizer was not one for letting rules be broken when they are for the good of our people. But...we must ask you for your aide." she said. Everyone nodded.

"That's why we came here. So...how can we help?" Quasimodo asked. Sora paid close attention to the queen's next words.

"After the Heartless appeared, a creature so fowl appeared and nestled itself deep within the bowels of this world. The creature is so pure evil, so heartless, so emotionless that we dubbed him "Darkness". It's no doubt that HE is the center point of all Heartless. If you can destroy him, the darkness over us will be broken." she said. Axel seemed a bit surprised.

"Wow. So...one GIANT Heartless is what is making all these little ones that are infesting other worlds. Sheesh. If Xemnas knew that when he was collecting hearts." Axel thought. Sora nodded.

"We will your Highness. The Heartless have plagued the worlds for too long. They have to be stopped here and now." Riku said.

"Yeah! And we'll kill them right at their source too!" Genis added. Presea said she would assist also, as did Zelos, Regal, Sheena and everyone else on Sora's team.

"Well Sora? You still want to go through with this? It means we'll be fighting the most vile Heartless of them all." Mulan asked. Sora nodded.

"Of course. No way am I backing down now. We came here to obliterate the Heartless...and that's what we're gonna do. If we don't, everyone the Heartless have attacked will continue suffering." Sora said. Michael gave a quiet smirk, pleased to see Sora so strong to his beliefs.

"And when we're done...we're going to bring Kingdom Hearts back into the light. And as for the worlds themselves...we'll replace the ties of darkness with ties of light." Sora said. The vizer gasped.

"What? Da...Dagh! You will do NO such thing! If you did that, then all worlds would acknowledge the other's existence! You'll be throwing world order out of whack! Are you THAT insane boy?" the vizer asked. Ventus nodded.

"Yeah. He sure is." Ventus said. Sora smirked and told everyone to get prepared.

"Thank you. Here. Let me give you one final bit of advice. The pit in which Darkness hides in is atop the horrendous black volcano that sits on the outskirts of our town. You'll see it when you exit the castle." the queen said. Sora thanked the queen and everyone prepared to move out.

"Finally. I've been waiting to take a few Heartless out by now." Sheena said. As everyone exited the meeting hall and strolled down the hallway, Ventus stopped and turned to Aqua.

"Hey...Aqua?" he asked. Aqua asked what was up.

"This is going to be it. Our final battle. We'll finally avenge Terra and Master Eraqus. But...when we do..." Ven said. Aqua nodded, saying that there would be no real way for them to ever come back.

"So...what's your point Ven?" Aqua asked. Ventus suddenly took Aqua's hand.

"Aqua...I know I may not be much...but...I promise I'll protect YOU this time. You protected me after I lost my heart, now I'll return the favor." Ven said. Aqua looked on, blushing bright red. But where as Ventus stood and glared in her eyes, Aqua quietly hugged him.

"Thank you Ven. It's...It's just pleasing enough to me that you're alive." Aqua whispered. Sora and Kairi looked back, happy to see Ven and Aqua together. Even Roxas and Naminé felt the same way.

"All right guys. To Darkness' lair and the end of all Heartless. Let's do this for everyone we left behind at Radiant Gardens. For Ansem..." Sora said. His team nodded and followed Sora outside. When they stepped out, they saw the volcano that the queen spoke of. Surrounding its pitch black form appeared to be a circling staircase, broken apart by several large platforms.

"That must be it. Let's go Sora." Riku said. Sora nodded and everyone warped down to the town below. The group made their charge towards the volcano as, high in the sky, Aqua and Ventus used their Keyblades and transformed into vehicles to fly in the sky.

"Keep on your toes everyone. I'm guessing this is going to be our biggest battle yet." Regal said. Michael stayed close to the front with Sora. Everyone held onto their weapons as they left the town behind them and approached the volcano's base. However, waiting there was an unfriendly sight. It was the Dark Knight.

"You again?" Sora groaned. Everyone stopped and prepared to fight. But suddenly, the Dark Knight rose into the air.

"Foolish child. You may have reached Kingdom Hearts and found the lair of the King of all Heartless...but can you survive...my FINAL test?" he asked. Sora looked up.

"And what does that mean?" Sora asked. Donald and Goofy huffed.

"Whatever it is, Sora can handle it!" Donald squawked. Mickey, Goofy and Pete nodded as well.

"Yeah. So come on and bring it helmet head." Max cried. The knight chuckled and summoned his blade.

"Very well then. Try...and survive THIS!" he yelled. He suddenly came crashing down and drove his blade into the ground. Darkness started to radiate across the dead field as strange black veins were seen pulsing.

"Whoa! Sora! What's...What's happening?" Lloyd asked.

"Depths of the great abyss, ruler of eternal despair...hear my cry now and open your powers to me so I may resurrect from the great beyond...souls come forth from the gates of HELL!" the knight roared. After the knight made his chant, the others saw arms starting to raise up from the ground. And behind them, sinister figures started to sprout.

"Sora! LOOK!" Donald squawked. Sora couldn't believe his eyes. Almost as if they were re-animated from the dead, Sora was seeing every villain, every Heartless or Nobody he's ever defeated. The likes of the fallen Unversed also rose from the ground.

"No. This...This isn't possible. He summoned back THAT many souls from the dark?" Aqua asked. The villanous group consisted of Jafar, Ursula, Sa'luk, Maleficent, the fallen Legion of Chaos, Scar, Clayton and his Heartless, Mad Treant, Symphony Master, Cursed Coach, Trinity Armor, Guard Armor, the remains of Organization XIII and just about every other villain Sora has fought and defeated came rising up.

"Now my army of the dark...KILL HIM!" the knight bellowed. All those the knight summoned gave out maniacal laughs as their eyes glowed yellow and prepared to attack. But nearby, watching on a cliffside of the volcano, was the likes of the Lingering Sentiment.

**__****__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	37. Ch 95: The Trial of Kefka

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 95: The Trial of Kefka_**

Back on Destiny Islands, the Princesses of Heart were still inside the Keyblade temple. During the flash of light, not one of them was brought into Kingdom Hearts.

"Did you see Sora's face as they passed through? He had such a pure smile." Cinderella asked. Belle nodded, having seen the same smile. Back on the beach, as the princesses exited the temple, they found the remaining members of Sora's group.

"Hey! It's you! The princesses, right?" Olette asked. Aurora nodded.

"Where's Sora?" Hayner asked "There was this big flash of light and everyone but us suddenly vanish." The girls turned back to the temple.

"He is in Kingdom Hearts now, possibly fighting for the safety of the worlds as we speak." Belle said.

"I believe the light only took those who were brave enough, like Sora, to face the great darkness. But...it's a real surprise to see that not all of you went with him." Alice said. Rai groaned.

"Oh great! And I suppose it took Seifer too, ya know?" Rai asked. Pence crossed his arms.

"Well, we have to leave it to Sora I guess. Nothing else we can do for him now. We'd probably be in the way. I mean, we don't even have any weapons." Pence said. Hayner groaned.

"Great." he muttered. Olette had a feeling Pence was right and she looked up towards the sky.

"Sora? Kairi? Don't you guys lose now. We're counting on you." Olette said. Fuu seemed dead quiet until everyone heard someone approaching.

"Not alone." Fuu said. Everyone looked back and saw a young woman with long soft brown hair, a red buttoned top and a long blonde skirt.

"Who is she?" Olette asked. Selphie, Tidus and Wakka recognized her right away.

"Where's Sora? Have any of you seen my son?" she asked. Olette and the others gasped.

"Wait! You're...You're...Sora's MOTHER?" Pence gasped. The woman nodded as, back in Kingdom Hearts, the battle was escalating faster by the minute. Guard Armor attacked Seifer and Richter by spinning around with its arms extended out.

"Gah! Why you!" Seifer yelled. He lunged into the air and sliced down one of Guard Armor's hands. Hercules grabbed Ursula by her tentacles and slammed her to the floor.

"With all these villains surrounding us, I don't know how we're gonna get through!" Hercules groaned. Clayton rode on the back of his Heartless and tried attacking with rapid shots from his gun.

"Ha! Take THAT fools!" Clayton laughed. But suddenly, he was grabbed from behind by Presea.

"You stop attacking my friends you big meanie." Presea said. Without any effort, she flipped the Heartless over and slammed them both to the floor. Sora and Riku were busy shielding themselves from the onslaught of Trinity Armor and Ventus was outmanuevering the Mad Treant.

"Come on! You want a piece of me?" Ventus shouted. The Unversed roared and started throwing bombs towards them. But Aqua deflected some with her Keyblade and stunned the Unversed before attacking. Suddenly, Sora saw the Dark Knight rising up towards the top of the volcano.

"Hey! Come back here!" Sora shouted. As he was suddenly ambushed by Scar, he swiftly struck him down and made a break for the start of the staircase. Kairi was close behind after evading an attacking Sa'luk. Jafar was suddenly grabbed by his cape and thrown to the floor by Cloud.

"I don't know if you're the real deal or some cheap imitations the knight created, but you won't get in our way! Now beat it!" Cloud yelled. Jafar snickered and fired a spell at Cloud, knocking him away. But suddenly, Genie came and rammed into Jafar from behind.

"Ha ha! That ought to leave a mark." Genie mocked. Stitch rolled into a ball and lunged off Zelos' shoulder, biting onto the head of Lexeaus. Vexen laughed as he summoned multiple ice shards and shot them towards Ventus.

"Ven! Behind you!" Aqua cried. Ven saw the attack coming and ducked. But as Vexen was attacking Ventus, Roxas came from behind and slashed him down. Axel was busy keeping Symphony Master back with his chakras as Xion was driving away Cursed Coach. But suddenly, the Unversed was preparing to bite her.

"Xion! Look out!" Naminé cried. Naminé quickly casted a spell and fired a bolt of ice into the beast's mouth. The Unversed hissed and stepped back.

"All right Naminé!" Xion cheered. The girls laughed and high fived each other. As Sora was reaching the stairway with Kairi, Riku, Mickey, Donald and Goofy close by, he looked back to the rest of his team fighting the dark army. But he suddenly saw Leon step out after slashing the Emperor down.

"Sora! Get going! Go after the knight! We'll keep these guys distracted here!" Leon yelled. He suddenly was ambushed from behind by Clayton, but was struck down by Rikku and Yuna.

"But Leon...!" Sora shouted. Leon groaned.

"Just GO!" he shouted. Sora watched as Leon turned back to the Emperor, grabbing him by his neck. Kairi and Riku turned to Sora.

"Come on Sora. We've got to stop the knight before he tries and unleashes that Heartless." Riku said. Sora groaned, turning to Riku with a nod, and led everyone up the stairyway. Suddenly, from behind, Ventus and Aqua managed to escape the battlefield and caught up to them.

"Ven? Aqua?" Goofy asked.

"We're coming too! So don't count us out yet!" Ventus called. Aqua said they would fight with Sora against the knight. But as they were coming to the first large platform, they were stopped when a laugh cackled out.

"What was that?" Riku asked. Sora gasped.

"Wait a second. That...laugh..." Sora muttered. He looked into the sky overhead and there was Kefka Palazzo.

"Hello kiddies!" Kefka laughed. Everyone quickly drew their weapons.

"What? YOU again?" Sora groaned. Kefka chuckled.

"I bet you didn't forget about little old me, did ya know Keyblade bearer? Or have you thought that since the Legion of Chaos is no more, I'D be out of your hair too?" Kefka asked. Riku groaned.

"That's what we hoped." he said. Kefka only laughed.

"Not a chance kiddo! You see...you haven't killed ME yet. I was only toying with you the last time we met. But for what you did to the rest of the Legion...as WELL as ruining my fun TWICE...you're all going to DIE! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!" Kefka screamed. Suddenly, Kefka began to glow a dark purple glow as he started tightening up.

"Whoa! What...What's going on?" Kairi asked. Kefka continued to laugh as his skin began changing purple and he grew giant angelic wings from his back. The dark aura completely engulfed Kefka in a pitch black orb. It remained in the air for a while before they started to see it pulse.

"Watch out! Here he comes!" Mickey cried. Suddenly, the orb began to break as the wings emerged from it. And in a flash, the entire orb shattered to pieces and Kefka floated in the air. His skin was now completely purple, he only wore a dark red robe around his legs and flew in the air with angelic wings.

"Prepare children. For your road...ends...HERE!" Kefka bellowed. He casted a barrier around the platform, sealing Sora and the others inside. Kefka laughed and casted bolts of lightning below him. Everyone quickly dodged and rolled away. Sora threw his Keyblade at Kefka and struck his head before it came back.

"Come on boys! Let's get this clown!" Mickey cried. Kefka laughed and eyed the mouse.

"Lights out squeaky!" he called. He pointed to Mickey and fired a bolt of lightning. Mickey was struck down and crashed into Riku. Suddenly, Kairi casted a spell and fired Blizzara at Kefka. Aqua quickly followed up with Barrier Charge.

"Get out of our way Kefka! We're not interested in YOU!" Sora called. He leaped at Kefka and unleashed a combo attack towards his front. But the floating titan did not seem to flinch.

"Fool. Don't even TRY to compare your power to that of a god." Kefka said. Without moving an inch, Sora was blown away by Kefka's aura and crashed into the wall. Aqua groaned and leaped into the air.

"Why you...!" Aqua cried. She and Ventus attacked together, hacking away at Kefka's body. But suddenly, Kefka fired magical orbs from him and blew them back.

"Ha ha ha! This is fun! Don't stop now! Show me what you can ALL do!" Kefka laughed. Sora groaned.

"Stop toying with us Kefka! This isn't a joke! You're NOT gonna stop us!" Sora called. He yelled and leaped into the air. But suddenly, Sora was grasped by Kefka in midair.

"Sora!" Kairi gasped. As Sora struggled to break free, Kefka eyed him.

"Let me tell you something boy. You know what I could never stand? Huh? Fools like you who believe in this silly "hopes and dreams" junk. So...you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna destroy ALL OF IT!" Kefka cried, clutching tighter to Sora.

"You won't Kefka! Those silly "hopes and dreams" are what keep people going! It's why we're not going to lose to you!" Sora shouted. Kefka groaned.

"Really? Then how are YOU going to stop me when you haven't laid so much as a scratch on me?" Kefka asked. Sora groaned. But then, he saw his Keyblade artifacts on his hand.

"Simple. Like THIS!" Sora called. He activated Atlas' charm, temporarily blinding Kefka and freeing himself from his grip, before landing and calling forth Atlas' Keyblade. Kairi and Riku got the same idea and brought forth the power of their artifacts. Kefka looked around him.

"What? What is this?" Kefka asked. Suddenly, without warning, Sora lunged at Kefka and swung. The blades not only heavily impacted on him, but they actually hurt Kefka.

"Ha! Now we can hurt you!" Sora yelled. Kefka gasped.

"No! That can't be! This power...what is it?" Kefka asked. He was suddenly attacked by Kairi and Riku, leading as a cover as Aqua and Ventus attacked next. Kefka was now being injured as everyone's attacks were soon making him lose balance in the air.

"Kefka! As long as we have our dreams, you can't beat us!" Aqua cried. She leaped at Kefka and swiftly struck him down. Ventus attacked next, entangling Kefka in his Salvation attack. Kefka was fired directly towards Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"Let's go guys!" Sora called. His friends nodded, turning to Kefka who was riddled with shock. As he growled, his fists started to glow.

"Annoying little trolls! You WILL NOT BEAT ME!" he roared. But just as Kefka tried to cast a spell, Sora and friends triggered a Trinity attack and battered and beat on Kefka before pulling him into their final attack.

"Taste the true power of LIGHT Kefka!" Sora exclaimed. Uniting their weapons together, a great sphere of light pulled Kefka in and struck away at him before it finally exploded, inflicting great damage to him. Kefka screamed.

"NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" Kefka screamed. As the attack wore off, Kefka powered down and collapsed to the ground, returned to his previous form. He looked at his hands with tear riddled eyes.

"No...it can't be. I...I can't lose to...to...to...children. NO!" Kefka yelled. Sora and the others stood nearby as Kefka was shaking with fear. He then started to laugh, sounding more depressed and derranged as his body was fading away.

"NOOO!" Kefka shrieked before completely evaporated. His body became black dust that blew away in the wind. The barrier he casted earlier also vanished.

"All right! Looks like we can move on now!" Mickey exclaimed.

"Then come on! Let's move it before anybody else shows up!" Donald squawked. Sora agreed and led everyone up the next flight of stairs. As the battle waged on below, Sora's friends could see them progressing upward towards the top.

"Go Sora! You can do it!" Jack cried.

"We believe in you Sora!" Marta and Emil called. Sora and the others passed through another platform, which was riddled with Heartless. But they were effortlessly slashed down by Sora and Riku, clearing a path to the next platform.

"I think we're gonna make it! What's going to stop us?" Kairi asked. But just as Sora and the others approached the third platform, a strong dark force could be sensed on the approach.

"Whoa!" Aqua gasped. She came to a skidding stop, feeling the presence before her. Ventus looked back.

"Aqua? Aqua, what's wrong?" Ventus asked. Suddenly, they all saw someone descending down onto the platform. They saw a man with long silver hair and wearing a white and black jacket. It was Xehanort's Lifeless.

"Oh great. Look who's back." Riku said. Sora and Ventus growled, drawing their Keyblades as they eyed Xehanort. The evil man looked on with a sly smile and an intent to kill in his eyes.

"Hello again...warriors of the Keyblade." Xehanort said.

**__****__****__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**  



	38. Ch 96: The End of a Nightmare

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 96: The End of A Nightmare_**

Xehanort stood before Sora and the others, growing a sly grin as he merely stood there. Sora and Ven growled, remembering all the chaos Xehanort caused for both of them. As he looked on, he saw Aqua and Ven standing side by side.

"Well, if it isn't Aqua and Ventus...oh. Wait. Where's Terra?" he asked. Xehanort started to laugh after that, provoking Ven.

"You know where he is! He went chasing after you! Why? Because YOU stole his body!" Ven shouted. Kairi gasped.

"He...He really did? I didn't know that." Kairi thought. When Xehanort asked how Ven knew, he said that Aqua told him and Sora once. Xehanort smirked.

"Yes. How ironic that your friend, the very one who thought he could defeat me, instead becomes the one to help fuel my ambitions for so many years." Xehanort chuckled. Ven growled more.

"Ven...calm down. He's trying to egg you on." Aqua said. But the more Ven looked at Xehanort, the more he imagined the suffering Terra had when his body was taken from him. Sora drew his Keyblade.

"Well, listen up Xehanort. Today, here and now, is where your psycho ambitions are finished!" Sora cried.

"That's right! And we're gonna be the ones that do it!" Mickey called. Xehanort grinned.

"Why would they be? I've finally made it to Kingdom Hearts, a world in which multiple others failed to ever reach. You think you can just kick me out? Never." Xehanort said. He started to float in the air and raise a hand, summoning his Guardian behind him. Ven yelled and charged for him.

"Ven! No!" Aqua called.

"Xehanort! I don't care if you're a Keyblade Master or not! What you did to Terra is UNFORGIVABLE!" Ven yelled. He lunged for Xehanort and swung his blade. However, the Lifeless countered with his own Keyblade.

"Begone wretched child!" he called. The Guardian snarled and slammed Ven to the floor. The others gasped and rushed onto the platform, soon trapped by Xehanort's barrier around the level.

"Ven! Are you okay?" Riku called. Ven groaned and stood back up.

"Xehanort...you heartless monster. I don't know what sick ideas were going through your head back then, but I swear that this will be your LAST battle. And I MEAN it this time!" Sora shouted. Xehanort chuckled.

"Oh? Then come...and SUBMIT to the darkness!" Xehanort yelled. He suddenly came charging with his Guardian leading the way. He dashed around the field, either missing or striking down any of Sora's friends.

"Look out!" Donald squawked before the Guardian struck him down. As it rounded the corner, it came at Goofy. But Riku leaped in and swung his blade, knicking Xehanort's shoulder and causing him to stop. When he did, Sora and Ven swung away at him with all their might. Their final blows knocked Xehanort back.

"Hmph. Come Guardian!" Xehanort shouted. Sora and Mickey lunged for him, but the Guardian intercepted. And as Sora was held in place, Xehanort summoned the sabers from his sleeves and went on the offensive after the Guardian released Sora.

"Leave Sora alone you jerk!" Kairi called. She came charging and caught Xehanort inbetween swings. The two stayed in a stalemate, locking eyes with each other.

"Princess Kairi...if you value your life, stay out of this fight." he said. Without effort, Xehanort struck away Kairi's Keyblade before the Guardian socked her in the gut and knocked her to the floor. Sora gasped.

"Kairi!" Sora exclaimed. He turned back to Xehanort with anger in his eyes.

"Why you...! Don't hurt Kairi!" Sora called. Xehanort laughed and floated back from Sora. He rose one palm into the air and faced Sora.

"She chose to stick her nose into the fray. Nothing I can say will change that." Xehanort said. As he made a fist, his hand began glowing with black energy. Sora and Aqua gasped.

"Sora! Look out!" Mickey cried.

"Now...let me show you a new TRICK I've picked up. SUBMIT!" Xehanort exclaimed. He swung his fist and a powerful black beam surged from his fist. It came rocketing towards Sora, but he quickly got out of the way. However, Ven saw the attack was now rocketing towards Aqua.

"No! Aqua! Look out!" Ven exclaimed. He dashed for her and pulled out his Keyblade. Aqua prepared to shield herself before Ven shoved her aside and, even though shielding himself with his blade, took the full hit and was slammed hard into the barrier. As she tumbled to the ground and dropped her blade, Aqua gasped.

"Ven! NO!" she exclaimed. Ven groaned and collapsed, dropping his Keyblade. Aqua quickly rushed to Ven's side. Xehanort smirked.

"Well, isn't someone playing the "hero" today." Xehanort said, giving a laugh shortly after. Sora and Riku groaned. Ven was starting to get back up, but Xehanort suddenly warped to his side and grabbed him.

"Ven!" Aqua cried. Ven was grasped by his throat as Xehanort raised him up. He tossed him aside before drawing out his sabers. He suddenly started to slash and hack away at Ventus, striking him with each blow. Aqua could only watch. With the final strike, Ven went stumbling down again and Xehanort laughed.

"Ven! Are you all right?" Aqua gasped, hurrying to him. But as Xehanort continued to laugh, something came leaping down from the sides of the volcano and bypassed the barrier to land behind him.

"T...Terra!" Mickey gasped.

"What the?" Sora asked. Xehanort sensed the feeling and quickly turned around. In what was only a brief flash, he saw the Lingering Sentiment behind him. The armor suddenly swung its Keyblade, delivering a sharp slash down his back. But before the Guardian could react, Terra's armor suddenly opened and surrounded Xehanort.

_XEHANORT !_

Xehanort yelled as the armor clamped down onto him. His muffled yells could be heard as the armor struggled to hold onto him. He dropped his Keyblade and clutched his head, frantically trying to rip the armor off him.

"What in the world?" Riku asked. Kairi, Donald, Goofy and Mickey merely stood and watched.

"Terra!" Aqua gasped. Ven sat up and rubbed his head, seeing Terra's armor wrestling control of Xehanort. He quickly gasped.

"Terra!" Ven exclaimed. Xehnaort's muffled scream radiated from the armor as suddenly, the armor gave a giant flash of light.

"NO!" Xehanort's voice yelled. The surge of light blinded everyone, forcing them to cover their eyes. Everyone down on the battlefield below could see the flash radiating from the platform Sora was on.

"Oh man. What's going on up there?" Lloyd asked. Richter looked on, still being able to see the faint figures of Sora and his friends.

"Sora...what's happening?" Richter thought. Emil looked on also, holding back a Heartless with his blade. Back on the platform, as the light began to fade, everyone looked on and saw the armor now just casually standing.

"W...Wait. Where's Xehanort?" Riku asked. Suddenly, the armor rose its hand and slapped its shoulder. The armor started to recede and, in the same spot as where the armor stood, there was no longer Xehanort. Ven and Aqua looked on, gasping at the sight of the armor's new wearer, a restored Terra.

"T...Terra?" Aqua muttered. Ven was in total shock. Terra's eyes opened, showing his original blue eyes and flashing his Keyblade. Ven could only smile and stand up before rushing to Terra.

"Terra! It's you! Terra!" Ven exclaimed. Ven hugged Terra tightly as the others hurried over. Terra saw the look on Ven's face and chuckled, patting his head.

"Come on Ven. Don't tell me you're still acting like a little kid." Terra teased. Ven looked up at Terra and started to wipe the tears from his eyes. Sora looked on at Terra, surprised to see his real form.

"Terra...how did you do that?" Sora asked. Terra looked at himself.

"I followed Xehanort here. And...I learned that if I could overpower his will with the remains of me that was inside that body's heart...I could kick him out and reclaim it." Terra said. Aqua just smiled, looking at both of her friends.

"I'm...I'm just so glad you're back Terra. Both of you." Aqua sniffled. Terra smiled.

"But...wait a minute. Whatever happened to that Xehanort guy?" Goofy asked. Donald curiously wondered the same thing, but Terra shrugged it off.

"Don't worry. I booted Xehanort's heart back to its cold, dark body. He won't be back anytime soon." Terra said. But suddenly, dark dust started to form around them. Sora and Terra gasped, looking behind them to see something forming. They were forming a human body.

"Uhhh...Terra?" Mickey asked.

"No. Don't tell me..." Riku said. The black dust continued to form and soon solidified into a real human form. It was Xehanort, his elderly form from Ven's time.

"Who...Who's that?" Kairi asked.

"No. It's...It's Xehanort." Terra said. The others gasped, shocked to see the elderly man before them was Xehanort's real body.

"What? You mean...THAT'S Xehanort?" Sora exclaimed, joined by his friends at the end. Xehanort looked at himself and gasped, riddled with shock.

"No. NO!" Xehanort roared. He suddenly eyed Terra and his friends, snarling as he stood back up.

"Wak! What's going on?" Donald squawked.

"Gawrsh! When Xehanort was booted from Terra's heart, his Lifeless must've became his body!" Goofy exclaimed.

"That means...when Xehanort's Lifeless met Xehanort's real heart, it brought him back!" Sora shouted. Xehanort growled.

"Terra...do you realize what you've DONE? You fool!" Xehanort shouted. He suddenly summoned his Keyblade and eyed Terra. Terra took his battle stance, holding his blade firmly.

"Yeah. I've realized. I realized that I've taken back my body! Now get lost you psychopathic nut!" Terra called. Xehanort growled and glowed black, the suddenly appearing Guardian was behind him. Terra gasped.

"Wh..What? Isn't that the Guardian from earlier?" Kairi asked.

"Great. It seems that when Xehanort was reborn from his Lifeless' body, he got their powers too!" Riku shouted. Xehanort yelled and came charging, led by the Guardian. Everyone ducked and dodged. Ven luckily avoided, even after fumbling from the earlier battle.

"Xehanort!" Terra yelled. He swung his Keyblade and struck down Xehanort at the right moment. Xehanort growled.

"You imbecile! I was so close to my goal! And you had to butt in!" Xehanort shouted. He suddenly charged at Terra and their blades started to clash.

"Well, if you didn't take my body to begin with, this wouldn't have happened!" Terra shouted. Suddenly, Xehanort looked and saw Sora and Riku charging at him. He sent a clone of himself, powers from Xemnas, to stall them. But Riku took the clone and Sora leaped at him.

"This is for all the trouble you've caused us Xehanort!" Sora shouted. Xehanort was suddenly onslaughted with blow after blow from Sora's Keyblade. He groaned with each strike. Terra stepped back. Sora's last hit blew Xehanort back a bit, leaving him open for Mickey to counterattack.

"Just give up Xehanort! You're clearly outnumbered and outpowered now!" Aqua exclaimed. But Xehanort didn't listen and attacked again, this time drawing one of Xemnas' sabers from his palm as well as his Keyblade.

"Never! I am a Keyblade MASTER! You amateurs can't hope to beat me!" Xehanort shouted. But when he clashed with Ven, Ven quickly disarmed him of his Keyblade and struck him.

"You forget that we have a Keyblade Master too! And that's Aqua!" Ven called. After that, Xehanort was ambushed by everyone and sent flying back after each strike. He suddenly dropped to the ground and clutched his chest, gasping for breath. He looked on at Aqua and growled.

"Ah. Yes. I...I forgot. You are a Keyblade...Master too, young Aqua." Xehanort muttered. Growing a devilish smile, he quickly called his Keyblade and suddenly stabbed himself with it. Everyone gasped.

"Wow! What's going on?" Goofy gasped. Xehanort started to rise up towards the sky, giving an evil laugh. Suddenly, the Guardian vanished and appeared behind Aqua and grabbed her arms.

"What? Hey! Let go of me!" Aqua shouted. She looked up and gasped, seeing Xehanort's eyes facing her.

"From what I understand Aqua, because of me, you've spent quite some TIME in the Realm of Darkness. That makes you PERFECT...as my NEW HOST!" Xehanort exclaimed. Everyone gasped.

"What? NO! AQUA!" Terra exclaimed. Xehanort laughed and prepared to merge with her as he did Terra. Aqua didn't do anything but stand, riddled with fear.

"Aqua! Get out of there!" Kairi screamed.

"Aqua! AQUA!" Ven cried. Aqua could only hear her own heart beat, too frightened to move. But suddenly, Terra stepped in the way.

"Xehanort! No! Don't take Aqua! If you want, take MY body instead!" Terra cried. Riku and Donald gasped.

"No! Terra! Don't give Xehanort your body back! We won't be able to stop him then!" Riku shouted. Everyone was shouting to Aqua and Terra to get out of there. But suddenly, one of Xehanort's clones came rushing directly for Terra.

"Very well! Come back and join me...TERRA!" Xehanort exclaimed. But when the clone attacked, the body it struck wasn't Terra, but a sudden appearance from Ven, shielding his friends with his arms out wide.

"What? YOU?" Xehanort gasped. Suddenly, Ven's body started to light up and Xehanort's body glowed even darker.

"What? No. NO! Not with HIM!" Xehanort exclaimed. Ven groaned.

"Xehanort! You used me just so Vanitas and I could make your precious x-Blade! Well, I think it's time for my former "master" to see just how strong...my heart really is! Because...your darkness is now MY darkness!" Ven shouted. Xehanort screamed, watching as his body broke down and went into Ven.

"Ven! What are you doing?" Sora called. Ven looked back at Terra and Aqua.

"Protecting my friends...and finally silencing...Xehanort forever." Ven said. The Guardian released Aqua and hurried to Ven, trying to tear them apart. But Ven's light ejected the Guardian away, leaving him open to Xehanort completely.

"This is for what you've done Xehanort! This is for Master Eraqus, this is for Terra, this is for Aqua...this is for everyone's lives that you've RUINED!" Ven shouted. Xehanort yelled.

"No! NO! I will NOT merge with you! V...Vanitas! HELP!" Xehanort called. He struggled to undo the merging, but even though Xehanort knew Vanitas was there, he never showed.

"V...Vanitas! You TRAITOR!" Xehanort yelled. Ven continued to hold his ground, not stopping until all of Xehanort was pulled into him. When it did, Ven screamed and grabbed his chest. His aura started to shift between light and dark, struggling for control. But as the dark aura glowed around him, it was suddenly shattered and Ven fell to the floor. Aqua gasped.

"VEN!" Aqua screamed. Terra hurried to Ven's side, rolling him over and seeing the unconscious look on his face. They looked ahead, seeing the only part of Xehanort still left was his Keyblade.

"Ven! Ven! Come on pal! Wake up! Ven!" Terra shouted. Sora, Donald and Goofy looked on, unable to say a word. Kairi quietly cried as Riku was silent as well. Mickey looked away, unable to see Ven the way he was now.

"No. This can't be happening." Aqua sniffled. She started to cry, leaking tears on Ven's face.

"Xehanort's darkness...must've been too much for Ven to handle. The two powers clashed each other out and destroyed his heart." Mickey thought. Xehanort's barrier fell and opened the path back up. Sora and the others gathered at the start of the stairs, looking back at Terra and Aqua. Aqua held Ven in her arms.

"Terra...Aqua? I'm so sorry." Sora said. Suddenly, Terra stood up.

"That knight...he caused all of this. He...He's gonna PAY." Terra growled. He clutched his Keyblade tightly and approached Sora.

"Aqua? Watch over Ven. I have to go do something." Terra said. Aqua looked on, asking what it was.

"I'm gonna find that knight...and make him pay for putting Ven through this. Just please do me a favor...and don't let Ven out of your sight." Terra said. Aqua nodded, looking back at Ven. Sora and the others hurried on ahead, now accompanied by Terra. They could see one last platform ahead of them before they reached the volcano's top.

"One more platform to get through and we'll be there! Don't let up now everyone!" Mickey called. Terra's eyes locked firmly on the pathway before him.

"Ven...I swear I'll bring this "Dark Knight" down. You gave your heart for me...now I'll return the favor...by making sure Aqua and I leave this battle ALIVE." Terra thought. But as they reached the final platform, another barrier suddenly shot up.

"What? D'oh! What now?" Sora groaned. Suddenly, a strong dark feeling was sensed approaching from the other stairway. Everyone looked ahead, causing Sora to gasp.

"Uhhh...Sora? Who's that?" Kairi asked.

"Oh no." Sora muttered. It was everyone's worst nightmare, the final minion of the Dark Knight's forces. It was Sephiroth.

"That's enough. Your road up this path ends...here." Sephiroth said, drawing his blade.

**__****__****__****__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	39. Ch 97: One Winged Finale

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 97: One Winged Finale_**

As Sora and the others were on the next platform preparing for Sephiroth, Aqua was still on the previous one. She held Ven close to her, seeping a few tears from her eyes. As lightning flashed overhead, Aqua kept Ven's head close to her heart.

"Ven...no. Why did this have to happen?" Aqua muttered. She sniffled and looked down at Ven. She then looked over at Xehanort's Keyblade, still on the ground where Ven absorbed him. As Aqua held Ven close, inside his heart, Ven was in a discussion with Xehanort.

_"Ven! You foolish little brat! Let me out of here right now!"_

_"No. You aren't the boss of me anymore. Sure. You were my former mentor, but now, you're going to be the part of my heart that is the darkness. This way, Vanitas won't EVER be able to make the x-Blade with me again."_

_"Hmph. Do what you want boy. Eventually, my darkness will overwhelm you and turn you into me. This act you've pulled is only good at delaying me." _

_"Oh really? Well, too bad for you then. My light? It's STRONGER than your darkness. And that's why I'm still dominant even though you're inside me. And while you're here, you're powerless."_

_"To think...I'd be outsmarted and beaten...by the very little pipsqueak I mentored. I don't know whether to be proud...or humiliated."_

_"Whatever the case, your power is now mine. So get used to this prison Xehanort. You're not getting out anytime soon."  
_

Outside Ven's heart, Aqua sniffled a bit before looking down at Ven. She brought him close, as close as she could.

"Ven...what you did...that was the bravest thing anyone's ever done for me. Please. Please come back..." Aqua said. Suddenly, she heard Ven starting to mutter. Aqua looked down and saw his eyes open. They weren't Xehanort's gold eyes, but remained his blue.

"V..Ven?" Aqua asked. Ven slowly sat up and rubbed his head.

"Aqua? Where...Where's everyone else?" Ven asked. Before she answered, Aqua suddenly hugged Ven tightly. Ven gasped and gagged, being partially crushed by her.

"Whoa! Aqua! What happened?" Ven exclaimed. He looked at her, hearing her quietly laughing. When they faced each other, Ven could see a smile on Aqua's face and tears in her eyes.

"Oh. Heh. Sorry to worry you Aqua. But...Xehanort's not coming back anytime soon. He's...He's apart of me now." Ven said. Aqua shook her head.

"No. That's not why I'm crying." she said "I'm crying because...I'm so glad you're back." Ven chuckled.

"Well, still sorry to worry you." Ven said. He then felt Aqua's hand on his shoulder.

"That was the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me Ven. Thank you...so much." Aqua said. Suddenly, Ven was pulled in close and their lips met. Ven fussed at first, but slowly calmed down as he and Aqua kissed. After it, they just looked at each other and both slightly blushed. Ven was the first to say something after keeping silent.

"Uhh...we...probably should go and see how everyone else is." Ven said. Aqua nodded. They stood up and called their Keyblades. But when Ven called his, he got two. One was his and the other was Xehanort's blade. But the style was different and now was based the same way as his original.

"Come on. Let's go catch up." Aqua said. They hurried on up the path. Back at the other platform, Sora and Terra shielded themselves from Sephiroth's violent onslaught.

"Get out of my way!" Terra yelled. He broke Sephiroth's chain and counterstriked, knocking him off balance. Riku and Kairi swooped in and attacked as well.

"Don't think you can beat me that easily boy." Sephiroth said. Suddenly, they heard a strange sound coming from the sides of the volcanic mountain. They looked and saw something dashing violently up their way. It was a teenage boy carrying a giant sword.

"Wak! It's Cloud!" Donald squawked. When Cloud was high enough, he backflipped and landed inside the barrier. He eyed Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth! I thought that was you!" Cloud yelled. Sephiroth huffed.

"And how would you realize I was here Cloud? Do you have some radar that "pings" whenever I show?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud showed a black feather in his hand.

"This happened to fall down on the battlefield when you showed up. Plus, I put this together with seeing where Sora was currently...and it led me to you as simple as that." Cloud said. Sephiroth said nothing and eyed him and Sora.

"Cloud, any ideas of how to beat this guy?" Sora asked. He suddenly saw Cloud flash his sword.

"Let ME handle this fight Sora. Sephiroth is mine." Cloud said. Donald and Goofy were stunned by the size of Cloud's blade.

"Cloud...don't let your anger blind you. You're obviously angry with Sephiroth right now." Mickey said. Cloud huffed.

"This isn't anger inside me Mickey. It's revenge. I want to know...Sephiroth...where is ZACK?" Cloud shouted. Sephiroth raised his blade.

"He is apart of the darkness...the same place I'm about to send you and your friends to." Sephiroth said. Cloud yelled and came charging. In a blitz of a second, Sephiroth and Cloud were lunging around and clashing blades. Neither let up and seemed bent on killing the other.

"Come on Cloud! Get 'em!" Sora cheered. Everyone started to cheer as Terra heard Aqua call to him.

"Terra! Terra!" Aqua called. Terra looked back and gasped, seeing Ven by her side as they rushed up the stairway.

"Aqua! Ven!" Terra cried. He then saw Xehanort's Keyblade in Ven's other hand. Ven stopped when he saw the barrier.

"Aqua...what are we gonna do?" Ven asked. Aqua looked at the barrier.

"If our Keyblades can open anything, we can surely open this." Aqua said. Ven nodded and they aimed their Keyblades at the barrier. Each released a stream of light and, combining them together, created a large enough force to break into the barrier. As they reunited, they quickly saw Cloud and Sephiroth's battle.

"Whoa! Is that Cloud? Who's the other guy?" Ven gasped.

"That is Sephiroth. They're not too "friendly" with one another." Riku said. Suddenly, Cloud and Sephiroth landed on the ground.

"Not bad Cloud. You're putting up more effort than last time." Sephiroth said. Cloud sneered.

"This is it Sephiroth. This'll be the LAST time I ever see your ugly face." Cloud said. Sephiroth huffed and raised his blade. He suddenly started to gently rise overhead.

"Sora! Look!" Mickey cried. Sephiroth started to glow and eyed everyone.

"Descend...Heartless Angel." Sephiroth muttered. Cloud and Sora gasped, but without hesitation, Sora charged to Cloud's side and used Strike Raid. His Keyblade went flying straight towards Sephiroth and successfully cut him off before his attack finished.

"Yes!" Sora called. Sephiroth suddenly eyed Sora and flashed down. Without a sound, he appeared and attacked, knocking Sora into the air.

"What? Sora!" Cloud called. As Sora was in midair, he looked around for Sephiroth returning. Acting quickly, the second he did, Sora regained composure and slashed him. Sephiroth groaned and descended to the ground. Cloud yelled and attacked the second Sephiroth landed. But it wasn't long until Sephiroth was shielding himself again.

"Come on guys! The sooner we can beat him, the sooner we can get to the knight!" Terra shouted. Everyone joined Sora and Cloud, charging for Sephiroth. But Sephiroth caught them from the corner of his eye. When they all attacked, he leaped away and into the sky.

"Abandon all hope now! This is the end!" Sephiroth called. Suddenly, meteors started to form around Sephiroth and came hailing down on the platform.

"Look out!" Cloud shouted. The meteors crashed down from all directions as Sephiroth seemed to be aiming for them.

"Wak! Goofy!" Donald squawked. Donald ducked under Goofy as he used his shield to shield them.

"Sora! What do we do?" Goofy cried. Sora was dodging the meteors, trying to find a clear path to Sephiroth. But that's when he saw Cloud leaping off of them and coming at Sephiroth.

"You're MINE!" Cloud cried. With a powerful swing, Sephiroth was struck down and the meteors stopped. Sephiroth landed back on the platform and eyed everyone.

"This has gone on long enough. I'm about to end this...here and now." Sephiroth said. He started to focus his powers and a black aura glowed around him.

"All will be lost to you. Give into the dark!" Sephiroth called. With a sharp blast, Sephiroth's aura spiked and his wings expanded. He started to zip across the field, slashing everyone with his sword. Kairi tried to shield with her Keyblade, but giving Sephiroth's speed, she couldn't find him and was hit every time.

"Kairi! Hang in there!" Riku exclaimed. Sephiroth continued his violent raid, striking at everyone. Suddenly, he was intercepted by Cloud.

"Sephiroth! This is the END!" Cloud yelled. Sephiroth huffed.

"Sure. Say that all you want Cloud. But in the end, you'll realize that I'll ALWAYS come back. You can't face the future Cloud. You're stuck...trapped in the past." Sephiroth said. Cloud growled.

"Just shut up! Just stop right now!" Cloud shouted. As Cloud and Sephiroth's blades clashed again, Sora thought about what Sephiroth had just said.

"Wait. That's it! Cloud!" Sora called. After blowing Sephiroth back, Cloud turned to Sora.

"Cloud! I think I know how you can beat him! Your heart! Open your heart Cloud! Let the light in!" Sora exclaimed. Cloud was a bit surprised.

"Open...my heart?" Cloud asked. Sora nodded.

"It seems like something has been haunting you. You have to let that go and face Sephiroth with what you have NOW!" Sora called. Cloud groaned.

"B...But Sora! You don't understand what he's done! I won't forget that! NEVER!" Cloud growled. But Kairi could understand what Sora was talking about.

"Please Cloud! Would you want your friends to feel like you'll never grow? If you want to avenge for whatever Sephiroth did, you have to look to the future! You have friends now! Everyone wants to help you!" Kairi called. Cloud groaned.

"C'mon Cloud. You can do it." Aqua muttered. Terra looked at Cloud.

"Listen Cloud. I know sometimes the past is hard to let go, but when we find ourselves thinking only of the past, we can't truly grow. But if you're willing to let go of that past and face your future head on, you can know for sure...your friends are there to face it with you! You're not alone anymore Cloud!" Terra shouted. Cloud gasped.

"F...Friends?" Cloud thought. He suddenly started to think about everyone he's been with since he came to Hollow Bastion, how he grew close with the likes of Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, Sora and all the rest. He then thought of his fallen friends, mostly Zack.

"Everyone..." Cloud muttered. He closed his eyes and gripped his blade. Suddenly, his sword started to give off a radiating glow. Sephiroth gasped.

"Wh...What?" he thought. Without a sound, Cloud's eyes flashed open and they showed a bright blue glow. He lunged for Sephiroth.

"This is it! This power!" Cloud thought. He was suddenly at eye level with Sephiroth, surprising him.

"Begone Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled. Sephiroth groaned and rose his blade. But with just one swing, Cloud not only smashed Sephiroth's blade in two, but his attack also did heavy damage to Sephiroth himself. He yelled as his feathered wings began to fall apart. He groaned as he descended towards the ground, still shedding feathers.

"H...How? This...shouldn't have been...possible..." Sephiroth muttered. Everyone looked on as Sephiroth faded away into dark ashes and his feathers scattered in the wind. The barrier around the platform faded.

"Cloud! Ya did it!" Mickey cried. Cloud nodded and looked back to the others.

"Sora...go. Get to the knight. I have to go back and help everyone else down below." Cloud said. Sora nodded.

"Thanks Cloud. I owe you." Sora said. He and Cloud turned to each other and shook hands.

"Don't worry. All the times you helped me, I'll consider us even." Cloud said. He then leaped back down, leaving Sora and the others behind.

"All right guys. The Dark Knight is just ahead. If we're gonna finish this now, for Kairi's mother, we're gonna have to face him with everything we've got. You all ready?" Sora asked. Everyone nodded.

"Of course we're ready! Lead on Sora!" Donald squawked. Sora nodded and led everyone up the next stairway. Meanwhile, back at the castle, the queen was looking out a window with her vizer nearby.

"But your Majesty...I still don't know why you are trusting our world's safety to this...this outsider. Haven't they already caused ENOUGH trouble? They've broken the boundaries of the worlds..." the vizer said. The queen looked at him.

"They are our saviors. Look at yourself. Do you really think you could do anything? Besides, when I saw Kairi leave earlier, I could see that look in her eye. She believes in her friends...and that's all I needed to see in order to believe in these outsiders." she said. The vizer groaned.

"Besides, when this is all over, I think Kairi will make an excellent heir to my throne. But, as her mother, I will let her choose her own destiny." she said. She looked on at the large volcano in the distance.

"Kairi...be safe my child." she thought. Back at the volcano, Sora and the others have now reached the top platform, overseeing the large crater inside the volcano. Black lava bubbled down below and pure darkness was radiating from it.

"All right. Where is he? Where's the knight?" Riku asked. Terra, Aqua and Ven looked around, unable to sense his presence. But suddenly, a giant gust of wind struck the field and blew almost everyone back. Sora maintained his ground as his friends were pushed back to the stairs.

"Sora!" Kairi gasped. Sora gasped and looked back. But before he could reach them, a barrier shot up around the platform he was on. And then, Sora could feel it. A heavy dark presence suddenly appeared right behind him.

"So...there you are." Sora muttered. He turned around and called his Keyblade, seeing the Dark Knight before him. He summoned his sword, facing Sora as lightning flashed above.

"It's about time you made it Sora. Now...come. Let us battle...this time, no interruptions." he said. Sora clutched his Keyblade tightly, saying that's the whole reason he came up here.

"Hmph. In this battle, only one of us shall win. So make sure you don't hold anything back boy!" the knight shouted.

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	40. Ch 98: The End of All Worlds

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 98: The End of All Worlds_**

A quiet wind blew across the field as Sora and the knight faced each other with their swords drawn and prepared to strike. When the first flash of lightning cracked, Sora and the knight charged at each other. Each yelled and swung their blades, clashing in a stalemate.

"All right you! It's about time...your plans end!" Sora shouted. The knight huffed.

"If you can beat me that is. You had best please me Sora." he said. The two forced each other away and jumped aside. The knight came charging and smashed the platform, sending a ripple of darkness at him.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. He leaped aside as his friends looked on, cheering.

"Come on Sora! You can do it!" Donald squawked.

"Get 'em Sora! Get 'em!" Goofy called. Sora leaped at the knight and summoned Yang's blade. Wielding his second blade, Sora was on the attack as the knight shielded himself.

"Hmm. So you've gotten used to summoning your fellow "Keybladers" for help. Too bad it won't make a difference. For they are powerless against ME!" the knight bellowed. He gave a mighty yell and swung his sword straight up. It broke Sora's attack and knocked one of his swords away, leaving him open for another attack from the knight.

"Gagh! Why you...!" Sora shouted. He came on the attack again, but the knight was ready. He drew back and tried to stab Sora, but Sora suddenly vanished.

"Hmm? What? So...he's learned a few more tricks I see." the knight thought. He suddenly heard something and turned around, struck in the head by Sora's Keyblade. Sora unleashed a fast combo against the knight, making him skid across the ground.

"Well, this is actually getting fun. Show me MORE boy!" the knight called. He came charging again and his sword grew in size. It radiated a thick black aura. Sora huffed and prepared to shield.

"Take THIS!" the knight yelled. He swung down with a heavy swing, causing a giant surge of energy to erupt the minute his sword made contact. It blew Sora away, knocking his Keyblade from his hand.

"Whoa! What was that? Where'd he get that power all of a sudden?" Sora thought. But as he got back up, he gapsed as the knight came charging again.

"Fall boy!" the knight roared. Sora tried to get away, but the knight attacked suddenly and sent him flying again. He rolled across the ground and slammed hard into the barrier surrounding the platform. Kairi gasped.

"No! Sora!" she cried. Goofy and Donald started to worry, looking anxiously at each other.

"Sora! Get back up! Hurry!" Ven called. Sora groaned and started to stand up, but he was suddenly grabbed by the shirt collar and raised up. The knight eyed him.

"Well, either you are holding back Sora...or this really IS the best you can do. Either way...what a pity." the knight said. Sora groaned.

"You won't be saying that after I do...this!" Sora shouted. He called back his Keyblade, partially surprising the knight with a fast slash to his face.

"Dagh!" the knight yelled. The strike caused a crack in his helmet. The moment he felt the crack, the knight snarled.

"Why you...!" he growled. The knight roared and leaped into the air. He rose his blade high into the air as a giant dark surge glowed around him.

"What now?" Sora thought. Everyone looked up, seeing the knight's figure against the lightning filled sky.

"All right Sora! Take THIS! This is one of my strongest attacks! Phantom Raid!" he yelled. He came down towards the platform, driving his sword directly into the ground. The darkness surged out and glowing phantoms rushed out towards him.

"Let's see you dodge THIS!" the knight shouted. Sora gasped and prepared to strike back, but his swings passed right through the knight's ghosts. They cackled and violently slammed into him, driving him into the wall again.

"Sora!" Riku shouted. He groaned as the ghosts continued to pound away at him. But Sora suddenly released a large surge of light, shattering the phantoms.

"What the?" the knight thought. Sora glowed brightly for a short while before his aura faded away.

"That's it? Okay. MY turn!" Sora shouted. He gripped his Keyblade tightly and focused a large surge of light into his blade.

"Sora?" Kairi muttered. As Sora's Keyblade began glowing, a circle of light enveloped around his feet. The knight was in total shock.

"This light...it's incredible. But where...where is it coming from? Is his heart really THAT strong?" the knight thought. Suddenly, Sora yelled and his blade suddenly extended to that of a giant glowing blade. Ven smiled.

"All right Sora. I taught him that." Ven thought. Sora then leaped at the knight. But, quick to retaliate, the knight caused his sword to surge pure darkness and lunged for him. When the two met, they were in a blur of sword swings. Neither took their eyes off the other.

"Whoa! Look at them go!" Mickey cried. Terra, Aqua and Ven frantically tried to keep eyes on each swing. Suddenly, a false swing by the knight caused him to veer off and leave himself open to Sora.

"Now...take THIS!" Sora exclaimed. He yelled and his Keyblade was thrust straight into the knight's chest. The attack pierced through the armor and gave a giant surge of light from within. The knight yelled in agony as the pain intensified. The cracks continued to spread until it ultimately threw him back into the barrier. Upon impact, he was severly damaged and his armor was almost completely covered in cracks.

"Curse you...child..." he groaned. The knight coughed and dropped to the floor. The barrier around the platform faded as Sora's friends hurried to him. Sora's Keyblade ceased its luminous glow and returned to normal.

"Sora! Ya did it!" Mickey cheered. Donald and Goofy joined in too.

"I knew you could do it Sora! Way to go!" Kairi laughed.

"That's the end of HIS plan." Riku said. Everyone continued to cheer and praise for Sora, making him smile at the sight of all their smiles.

"Hooray! It's over!" Donald squawked.

"Ha-yuck! Yeah! That knight fella ain't gonna bother anyone no more!" Goofy laughed. But as the others rejoiced, Ven looked on at the knight's body. It had yet to fade into darkness.

"Wait. Uhh...guys? If the fight is over, how come the Dark Knight is still here?" Ven asked. Everyone gasped and looked over at his armor.

"Ven's right. A blast like that should be reducing him to ash right now." Aqua said. Suddenly, the knight gagged and coughed, slowly rising from the floor. He gripped to his sword as he stood back up.

"You...think this is over? HUH? Not by...a LONG shot!" the knight shouted. Sora saw the impact he had on the floor caused his mask to crack off a section, showing a tuff of black hair and a gold colored eye.

"So, we finally get to see some of your face." Riku said. Sora turned to him and pointed his Keyblade at him.

"All right "Dark Knight". No more games! Take that helmet off and show your REAL face!" Sora shouted. For a second, all remained quiet. But suddenly, the knight clutched his helmet.

"Very well. You want to know who you've been fighting all this time? Do you really?" he asked. Sora and his friends nodded. The knight gave a chuckle as he slowly took his helmet off. But as he continued to laugh, his voice changed from his deep tone to a more sinister one. Ven gasped.

"Wait. That...That voice..." Ven said. The laughing continued as the knight stood straight up. He completely tore his helmet off and threw it to the ground violently, smashing it into a thousand pieces. As his cape blew in the wind, he continued his maniacal laugh.

"No. It...It can't be..." Terra said. Ven and Aqua were stunned with fear, everyone's eyes widened from shock. They just couldn't believe their eyes. The face beneath the Dark Knight's helmet...was that of Vanitas!

"V...V...Vanitas?" Ven exclaimed. Vanitas laughed insanely and faced everyone with his glowing gold eyes.

"That's right! The cat's out of the bag! It's been ME the whole time!" Vanitas exclaimed. Sora gawked in fright.

"But...But...there's no way! You COULDN'T have been the knight from the beginning!" Sora called. Vanitas snickered.

"Oh. But I was. See, ever since Ven defeated me and shattered the x-Blade, our spirits went adrift. Now while Ven's pathetic heart went on to find you, light meeting light, my darkness returned to the place where all darkness begins...Kingdom Hearts." Vanitas said. Terra gasped.

"Over time, the darkness within this realm restored my body and I began to plan out my revenge. I wanted to wait for just the right moment, when Sora and Ven's hearts were prime and ready. I donned myself as the Dark Knight and pressed on with my plan." Vanitas said. Aqua stepped forward.

"So then...creating all of those Lifeless...that was YOUR plan?" Aqua asked. Vanitas nodded.

"It's simple to blend together two types of darkness Aqua. I've grown a lot since our last encounter and I've primed myself for this day." Vanitas said.

"B..But wait. Those instances that we saw you and the knight together...how is that possible?" Ven asked. Vanitas chuckled and snapped his fingers. Another clone of himself suddenly appeared. But the instant he did, it began to fade white and a Unversed logo appeared on its mask. It was Vanitas's Remnant.

"Good to have a clone pose as you to keep you off my trail." Vanitas said. The clone faded away shortly after. He looked back at the black lava inside the volcano.

"Deep inside this bubbling pool of darkness is the King of all Heartless himself...Darkness. You know what happens to a Heartless when its defeated Sora?" Vanitas asked. Sora nodded.

"The heart they captured is released and the Heartless is eradicated." Sora said. Vanitas smirked.

"Exactly. But where do you think all of that DARKNESS that was put into its creation winds up? Hmm? It winds up...right...back...HERE. It returns to Darkness, feeding him and fueling his escape." Vanitas said. Sora gasped.

"No! Then all this time of destroying Heartless, we've been feeding your "pet" so it could escape!" Riku groaned. Vanitas laughed.

"And thanks to you all, Darkness has enough power now to completely break his seal and return to this world!" Vanitas said. He turned to them and explained that this whole time, he let the Keyblader souls loose so he could make Sora stronger and feed Darkness more dark energy from destroying Heartless.

"When we are merged, you will all be...DEVOURED BY DARKNESS!" Vanitas shrieked. He laughed insanely and started to fall back into the volcano.

"Wah! Sora! Stop him!" Mickey exclaimed. Sora dropped his Keyblade and hurried to Vanitas. But before Sora could grab him, Vanitas quickly summoned an Unversed and pinned him down.

"Too late! You're all too late!" Vanitas laughed. As Vanitas kept laughing, he plummeted straight into the bubbling lava. His laugh continued to echo across the world. The queen gasped.

"Oh no. Not that. It's Darkness! He's coming!" she gasped. Suddenly, the entire world began to shake. Everyone down below looked up at the top of the volcano.

"What the? What's happening?" Richter gasped.

"It's up there! The volcano's gonna blow!" Leon shouted. Yuffie and Aerith gasped.

"What about Sora? Did he win or not?" Rikku shouted. Yuna and Paine glared on at the erupting volcano. Suddenly, the remaining villains started to make a straight path for the volcano also. In the skies above, the Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed went in after Vanitas.

"Where...Where are all these guys going?" Terra shouted. Ven looked down into the lava. The denizens of darkness continued to enter the lava. Suddenly, they all heard Vanitas' voice again.

"O Great Bearer of Darkness, he who has slept for thousands of years...I feed you now the darkness you so feverishly crave! From the depths of your eternal sleep, I awaken you now to shed your wave of darkness upon the worlds! Now rise from your tomb so the world order can begin anew! Devour the worlds in eternal DARKNESS!" Vanitas cried. Suddenly, a giant black arm rose up from the lava. On the end of each finger were razor sharp claws.

"Wak!" Donald squawked, leaping onto Goofy. The Keybladers looked on in total shock.

"Is...Is that Darkness?" Aqua muttered. The hand suddenly came crashing down onto the platform, puncturing straight through it as it gripped the rock of the volcano. Another soon rose up and grasped the other side.

"He's coming! RUN!" Terra shouted. As everyone began to run, Darkness' colossal body rose up out of the volcano's mouth. A wave of liquid darkness came gushing out from down below.

"Wah! Look! That...That's pure darkness! Don't let it touch ya!" Mickey cried. Sora and the others hurried to rush down the stairs, but Darkness' rising started to make them collapse. Soon after venturing down the first flight, they broke beneath them and Sora's group was plummeting down towards the ground.

"Sora!" Kairi screamed. Sora yelled as he and the others plummeted to the ground below. But the darkness seeping from Darkness was soon flooding the ground as well. Sora's friends found themselves engulfed by it.

"Gah! What's going on?" Marta screamed. Yuffie and Aerith screamed as the wave of darkness was overtaking everyone.

"It's too late! Everyone! Look out!" Leon exclaimed. As Bolt and Mulan lead the way, everyone who was not already taken ran right behind them. But it wasn't long until the darkness engulfed them too.

"Gah!" Mulan exclaimed. Bolt howled as the giant wave washed over him as well. It spread all the way towards the castle, swallowing up the village as well. It started to rise up, eventually growing over the grounds of the castle.

"We're doomed! My queen! Run!" the ghosts inside yelled. The queen looked on in shock, terrified of the giant creature worming out from the volcano. Down below, Sora and the others were engulfed already by the darkness. Sora found himself slowly plummeting down a pitch black sea, his body powerless to do anything but sink.

_" Is this...truly the end?  
_

_No...it can't be._

_I'm just...plummeting deeper...and deeper...into darkness... "_

Sora's eyes barely opened, seeing nothing but darkness around him. He looked to his hand, seeing no Keyblade.

_" This MUST be it. The...The true darkness... "_

Sora thought back to the queen's story, remembering that darkness was born from the jealousy of the world's inhabitants for the light. He soon could feel how deep and sad it felt around him. But then, he started to remember the words of Kairi's grandmother.

**_Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light._**

**_Then people began to fight over it, they wanted the light for themselves and darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared._**

**_But small fragments of the light survived... in the hearts of children._**

As the story Kairi's grandmother spoke of continued to echo in his head, Sora saw tiny bits of light in the shape of hearts surround him. He lightly gasped.

**_With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now._**

**_But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other._**

**_But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return._**

**_So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you._**

**_Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away._**

After that, Sora's eyes completely opened as he saw Awakening platforms, each embedded with the pictures of each and every one of his friends, rush by him. But when they all came towards him, rather than smashing through them, he phased through. But each time he did, he heard their voices call his name.

"Guys?" he muttered. As the likes of Auron, Leon, Goofy, Donald, Mickey, Marta, Emil, Lloyd, Bolt, Mulan, Hercules, Aqua, Ventus, Terra and all the rest flew right by him, he eventually saw one more platform coming his way. It was Kairi's Awakening, showing her smiling though she was asleep. In her hand was the Papou Fruit with her Keyblade hovering over her. And by her side was something surprising, it was Sora himself holding her hand.

_" SORA! "_

At that point, Sora could hear Kairi's voice calling out to him. He suddenly stopped descending and floated in midair, protected by a glowing aura of light around him. His Keyblade suddenly appeared before him.

"The Keyblade..." Sora said. As he gripped it, he heard Michael's voice.

_" Sora, the time is now! You must return to the Realm of Light and defeat Vanitas! I've done all I can to prepare you for this moment. And now...I leave it all to you. I know you can do it! Believe in your light...believe in the light of your friends! Guide them all to victory! "_

Acknowledging Michael's last words, he closed his eyes and held the Keyblade's handle with both hands. As he did, the light of his friends poured into him and soon, his entire body started to light up.

"This light...it's THEIR light...the light of my friends!" Sora thought. Suddenly, the light on his back shot outward, forming glowing majestic crystal wings. His Keyblade also glowed as well, growing largely in size. It became a large, majestic Keyblade bearing a shimmering glass shine. It's handle was formed by angelic feathers and a blue heart sat in the middle. The keychain was a heart with wings and the teeth of the blade were the same as the Ultima Weapon.

"So...THIS...is the true Keyblade of the Light...Divine Heaven." Sora muttered. He then looked above him, suddenly starting to fly straight towards the top. As he rose higher, he could see a light starting to shine above.

"There it is...the Realm of Light!" Sora thought. He rose his Keyblade to the light and fired a straight beam through the hole. Up above, darkness spread across the world. But Sora's light created a separate floating land and all of Sora's friends were brought out of the darkness and beamed onto it.

"Whoa! That was weird." Seifer gasped. Richter coughed, nearly overwhelmed by the darkess. Everyone looked on at the waves of darkness below them, flowing like a thick, oily sea.

"Oh man...is that really...all pure darkness?" Lloyd asked "It's sickening to look at." His friends couldn't help but agree. Riku looked down at the black sea.

"Where's Sora?" Riku asked. Donald and Goofy frantically looked, but no one saw him.

"He's not here!" Emil called. Kairi worried, praying for his return. But suddenly, light began to shine under the darkness as Sora rocketed out in the shape of a glowing bullet.

"No! Wait! There he is!" Kairi exclaimed. As Sora floated in midair, he swung his sword and faced Vanitas now. Because of the earlier fusion, Vanitas had awaken Darkness. It was a large, pitch black monstrous devil with the head of a skull, eyes of a Heartless and multiple arms. It beared giant bone bat wings on its back and around it were several miniature Heartless. And on the monster's forehead, dangling in the center, was Vanitas. His bottom half was merged into Darkness' head and he carried a larger, more menacing version of his Keyblade in one hand.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Vanitas' warped voice laughed "You survived Sora! I'm truly surprised! I thought for sure the darkness would've devoured you!" He laughed insanely, eyeing Sora with a pure intent to kill. Darkness gave a blood thirsty roar. Kairi recognized it as the roar from her visions.

"That's it. That really is Darkness." Kairi said. Everyone looked on.

"You mean...HE is the King of Heartless? This gruesome freak?" Genis gasped. Regal, Sheena and everyone else gathered together, seeing Sora and Vanitas locking eyes.

"How does it feel Sora? Knowing that you've FAILED? BIG TIME?" Vanitas laughed "Because of you, all the worlds will be engulfed in darkness!" But as the wave of darkness continued, it suddenly found itself hitting an invisible barrier.

"What?" Vanitas gasped.

"No Vanitas. No it won't. I've placed a barrier around this world. No darkness is getting out unless you beat me FIRST." Sora said. Vanitas was silent at first, but soon began to laugh again.

"Ha! This is the best you can do? Locking me in like a rat? Ha!" Vanitas laughed. Sora's eyes narrowed.

"Vanitas...your heart lacks the light. Have you no shame for the millions of lives you are about to destroy?" Sora asked. Vanitas smirked.

"You think I care? No! Even that fool Xehanort should know...no one can be controlled if their heart is filled with nothing but darkness! Because I AM darkness!" Vanitas exclaimed. Sora raised his sword as luminous armor surrounded him. It grew over his shoulders and arms, stretching to his legs. It almost appeared as if his armor beared similarity to Aqua, Terra and Ven's combined.

"When I'm through with you, all will bow down to darkness! The worlds themselves will cower at my mercy! I've won Sora! Just accept it! Now begins the reign of a new deity of the darkness...ME!" Vanitas laughed. Darkness roared again as Sora groaned.

"I'll accept it...when you stop boasting yourself long enough to fight! Come Vanitas! Let's end this once and for all!" Sora exclaimed. Vanitas grinned and watched as Sora flew towards him.

**__****_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	41. Ch 99: A New Sanctuary Is Born

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

**_Chapter 99: A New Sanctuary Is Born_**

Sora came flying towards Vanitas, with sword raised and prepared to attack. Vanitas snickered and rose his arm up. Almost as if manipulated by strings, Darkness raised the same arm. It eyed Sora and prepared to attack.

"Take THIS Sora!" Vanitas exclaimed. He threw a punch, causing Darkness to do the same. But Sora evaded and homed in for Vanitas.

"Too slow!" Sora shouted. He hacked and slashed at Vantias before diving away. Vanitas groaned.

"Fine then. Let's see you dodge THIS then!" Vanitas cried. His hands glowed pitch black and caused Darkness to fire multiple blasts towards Sora. He rose his blade in defense and tried to maintain his stance, skidding slowly backwards.

"Come on Sora!" Leon called.

"You can do it Sora! Come on!" Donald squawked. Sora groaned under the pressure as the attacks battered and hammered against him. One finally broke through the shield and blasted him backwards. But Sora flipped right over.

"Oh yeah?" Sora shouted. He came zipping straight at Vanitas with his sword held back. Vanitas growled and prepared his blade. At close range, the two swung at the same time and clashed in a stalemate. The lightning overhead was now blazing more violently than earlier.

"Just give it up Sora! My powers combined with the power of Darkness is unstoppable!" Vanitas shouted. Sora growled.

"Never! This will be the last time your twisted ambitions threaten anyone!" Sora called. He increased speed and put on more pressure to Vanitas' sword. He found himself leaning back.

"No! This can't be! How can he be getting so strong?" Vanitas thought. Eventually, Sora blew Vanitas' Keyblade from his hand and attacked again. But during the attack, Vanitas grabbed Sora's blade and held it with one hand.

"Why you! Don't think it's this easy to BEAT ME!" Vanitas yelled. His other hand surged darkness and he socked Sora in the stomach. The blow was so strong that Sora coughed and gagged.

"Gagh! That...really hurt..." Sora groaned. Vanitas snickered, seeing Sora keeled over.

"No! Sora!" Kairi exclaimed. Vanitas laughed.

"How does that feel "hero"?" Vanitas asked. But suddenly, Sora stood straight up and swung his blade at Vanitas. He gasped and tried to retaliate, but the attack struck Vanitas before he could. It left a scar across his face.

"There. Now you've been "marked" criminal." Sora said. As blood trickled down his cheek, Vanitas growled.

"Why you...!" he snarled. Vanitas' eyes started to glow again as he and Darkness both roared at the same time. Sora suddenly was grabbed by Darkness' giant hand. He soon had both hands clasped on Sora, squeezing him tightly.

"I'm gonna squeeze every last bit of your light out! Prepare to be snuffed out like a candle Sora!" Vanitas shouted. Sora groaned, clenched tighter and tighter by the second. Some of the bits of light on Sora's wings were blinking out.

"Sora! Come on! Do something!" Lloyd shouted. Sora growled, looking straight at Vanitas.

"Your light can't stop the darkness! You're powerless against this much darkness BOY!" Vanitas cried. But suddenly, Sora was starting to fight back. The light around him began to glow brighter and form a sphere, pushing back Darkness' grasp. With one loud yell, his grip was broken.

"Maybe not alone Vanitas! But with my friends by my side, my light is even stronger! Because it has all the combined light of their hearts as well!" Sora shouted. Vanitas growled.

"Well then, allow me to even the odds then...by destroying your FRIENDS!" Vanitas yelled. Clenching both hands together, Vanitas started to growl. The world below trembled as spikes began rising from Darkness' back.

"Take THIS!" Vanitas exclaimed. He yelled and the spikes were fired towards Sora's friends like raging missiles.

"Everyone! Take cover!" Cloud shouted. Everyone yelled and ducked for cover. But Raine and Genis stepped forward.

"Hang on tight! Now Genis!" Raine cried. She and Genis casted a spell over them like a giant bubble. The spikes hailed down on the barrier, causing cracks each time they hit. Raine groaned, feeling each strike. Vanitas laughed.

"I'll keep raining down until your friends plummet to the darkness below!" Vanitas exclaimed. Sora looked on at his friends.

"Everyone! Hold on! I'm coming!" Sora exclaimed. He flew towards them, but he was suddenly hammered from behind by Darkness. The giant punched Sora's back and sent him plummeting into the dark sea below. Kairi gasped.

"SORA!" she screamed. Vanitas laughed.

"You fool! Not even all the light you possess now can survive this much darkness! Face it! I've won! Now DROWN in the darkness forever!" Vanitas exclaimed. Down in the sea, Sora struggled to break free, but Darkness was holding him deep below, making it impossible to break free.

"No! Can't...Can't stop now. Getting...dizzy..." Sora thought, holding his breath. The light surrounding him was starting to fade again, this time his wings were almost completely gone.

"Oh no! Got to...get out of here...fast!" Sora thought. But with Darkness keeping him pinned, he couldn't budge.

"What am I gonna do? I have to get to the others! They can't handle that psycho!" Sora thought. Just then, he saw the artifacts on him begin to light up.

"Sora! Don't fear! We will help you!" voices exclaimed. Sora recognized their voices, hearing the voices of the Keyblade souls inside. Their light suddenly began to merge with his.

"Your friends are not the only ones you can draw light from! We shall give you our lights as well!" Atlas' voice called. Wulf told Sora to keep fighting, reminding him the battle was far from over. Sora looked on at Darkness' arm stretching from the top of the darkness.

"Everyone! Lend me your strength! Together...we can DO THIS!" Sora thought. Up above, light began to glow on the chests of Sora's friends.

"Wh...What's this light?" Richter asked. Marta tried to touch it, but it felt strangely warm.

"Wait. I...I know this feeling." Marta said. Kairi smiled.

"It's Sora. It's his heart calling to us. He needs our strength." Kairi said. Yuffie and Cloud looked on. Ventus felt the warmth from Sora's light.

"All right. Sora? This is for you." Ven muttered. Everyone put their hands to the light and closed their eyes, focusing their light into it. As they fed their strength to him, something was happening outside Kingdom Hearts. A ring of light surrounded the world itself and multiple stray beams of light shot out to every world Sora has been to, touching the hearts of Sora's friends. It reached Radiant Gardens, finding the heart of Ansem.

"Sora..." Ansem muttered. Another beam went straight to his friends on Destiny Islands and to the Princesses of Heart. Out in space, another beam was sent flying all the way to everyone in Halloween Town. No matter where the light went, all the people who were marked knew this light was Sora and automatically fed their powers to him.

"Maybe we can help you after all Sora. Hold on tight. Please." Olette thought. Down in the darkness, Vanitas saw all the light building up.

"Wh...What? What is that? What could be shining so brightly down there?" Vanitas gasped. Suddenly, a large eruption shot up and tore apart the sea of darkness. Vanitas shrieked as he felt Darkness' pain. The blast blew off both of the monster's hands. Vanitas looked on, seeing a luminating Sora rising up again.

"No! It's not possible! You should be dead!" Vanitas exclaimed. Sora eyed Vanitas, flashing glowing blue eyes. His outfit changed, completely stylized in a blinding white coloring. The wings on his back had doubled in size and Vanitas could feel the surge of light radiating from him.

"Vanitas! Admit it! You're afraid of the light! And that's just what I am now! You are the darkness? Then I am the light!" Sora shouted. Vanitas snapped out of his fear and snarled.

"Don't get so full of yourself! My darkness will swallow you whole! All begins and ENDS in darkness! You are no exception you oversized firefly!" Vanitas exclaimed. The monstrous Heartless opened its gaping jaws and prepared to chomp down on Sora.

"Wrong! Because where there is darkness...!" Sora shouted. Before he could finish, Darkness' jaws came crashing down, trapping Sora within. Vanitas laughed, but that laugh soon ceased when he felt a trembling power from within. Suddenly, a glowing bullet rocketed from out of Darkness' upper mouth. It was Sora racing out with his Keyblade.

"Where there is darkness, there will always be LIGHT!" Sora yelled. Vanitas snarled and screamed, drawing his Keyblade again as Sora came racing his way. The two boys yelled and swung both weapons at exactly the same time. But as Vanitas only slashed part of Sora's clothes, Sora's attack hit dead home. His sword pierced all the way through Vanitas, stabbing his pitch black heart.

"No...No..." Vanitas muttered. His eyes widened as wide as they possibly could, looking fearfully at Sora's blade stabbed through him. He suddenly felt his heart overwhelming with light. The darkness within couldn't take it as it overfilled him.

"Now...begone. Fade away into the darkness where you...and the likes of the Heartless belong. And never come back." Sora muttered. He drew his sword out swiftly, causing Vanitas to gasp and cough. Vanitas looked up towards the sky.

"Wh...Why? All was...so perfect. Why then...did I...lose? Is light...truly...this powerful?" Vanitas thought. His eyes slowly faded, turning pitch black as he and Darkness began to break apart. They were blown away as black ashes. Below them, the sea of darkness was evaporating as well, revealing the city below. Sora's friends cheered.

"Sora! He did it! He finally beat Vanitas!" Mickey cried. Kairi laughed, leaking tears from her eyes. Terra and Ven cheered loudly, with Aqua applauding. Alice and Decus waved to Sora as he floated above the city. Suddenly, Sora looked up to the sky and raised his Keyblade.

"Keyblade...go now. Use your power...to initiate Infinite Lock." Sora muttered. His Keyblade drifted from his hand and began to glow brightly. A beam of light shot straight for the sky, parting the storm clouds above. It struck a radiant moon hidden behind the clouds and fired out to every world in space. To each world it went to, the Keyholes were exposed and sealed, this time with a much more powerful lock. After the lock was complete, Sora suddenly vanished.

"S...Sora?" Kairi gasped. The platform Sora's friends were on also vanished, returning them gently to the surface of the world.

"Whoa. That was...That was weird." Emil said. Leon looked up at the sky, seeing the moon and stars shining above.

"Hey. Look. The stars are out." Lilo said. Stitch and Perry looked on, amazed at all the stars.

"Sora did it. He saved Kingdom Hearts." Terra thought. Suddenly, Riku looked around.

"Hey. Has anyone seen Sora?" Riku asked. He then heard a voice call out. They all looked forward and saw Sora walking their way. Everyone smiled, while some gasped before. Sora snickered and waved.

"Hey everyone. Sorry for scaring you like that." Sora said. But suddenly, Kairi came racing over and hugged Sora tightly.

"Sora! You did it! You really did it!" Kairi cried. Her arms hugged tightly around Sora, tears racing down her cheeks. Sora smiled and hugged Kairi.

"Thanks Kairi. It was all because of you guys that I pulled out of that alive." Sora thought. Everyone looked on, happy to see Sora and Kairi together.

"So...is this really the end? Are the Heartless gone for good?" Cloud asked. Leon looked around.

"Well, judging from what has just happened...I'm guessing Sora really did do it." Leon said. The queen's spirit and the vizer suddenly appeared.

"Yes. The Heartless and the other denizens of the darkness are gone. With Darkness no more, darkness no longer has an evil form to take for its own. Light and darkness are at peace once again." she said. Aqua sighed.

"Thank goodness." Aqua said. Just then, Emil realized something else.

"Hey. What about our world? I just realized that...how are we gonna get back home?" Emil asked. Just then, someone else was walking towards the group.

"Well, I believe that with the Heartless gone...your world has returned." he said. Terra, Aqua and Ven gasped. The person before them was Master Eraqus.

"M...Master?" they asked. Eraqus turned to them.

"Terra, Aqua, Ventus...how long has it been?" Eraqus asked. Terra stuttered, asking how he is alive and well.

"Well, I would say it was thanks to this young man. When he returned everyone from the darkness caused by Vanitas, he freed my heart from yours Terra. Combined with my spirit, I too have returned to the Realm of Light." Eraqus said. Ven and Aqua chuckled.

"That means...we're really all back together again!" Ven cheered. Aqua laughed, patting Ven's head. Everyone started to laugh together, pure as could be, glad that this battle was over. The Heartless were gone, Vanitas was destroyed and the evil actions of Master Xehanort were finally cleansed from the face of the worlds. Now, it came time for the team's hardest action, saying goodbye. Outside the city limits, the queen used her powers to open a giant glowing doorway. It towered high above everyone else, almost endlessly reaching for the sky.

"Here. Heroes of this world, use this portal to return home. Once you step through, you will be instantly returned to the world in which you belong." she said. Bolt slowly stepped forward.

"Well, I'd better get back. Penny is waiting for me. Let's meet again Sora, okay?" he said. He thanked Sora and rushed into the doorway. Jack Skellington patted Sora's shoulder.

"Hey. Thanks for an amazing trip Sora. If you're ever in Halloween Town, come by and say hello. I'll make sure that when you do, there'll be a true Halloween treat for you." Jack said. Sora nodded and waved goodbye as Jack passed through. Following Jack was Hercules.

"Goodbye Sora. You're a true hero now." Hercules said. He picked up Phil and they walked through the door. Next to stand by Sora was Peter Pan.

"Well, I've got to get home. Those boys ain't gonna watch themselves forever. See ya Sora!" Peter called. He flew through the door as Jack Sparrow followed.

"Till we meet again...savvy." Jack said, waving his hand without turning around. Kronk stared on at the glowing door.

"Ha ha. Well, I guess that's the end of this adventure. But don't worry. I'm sure we'll cross paths again." Kronk said. He walked through as Sora saw Lilo and Stitch by his feet.

"Thanks for everything Sora. Stitch and I had a lot of fun." Lilo said. Stitch nodded, exclaiming his feelings too. They hurried on through the door as Quasimodo and Simba left too, thanking Sora. Sora then felt Lloyd's hand.

"Hey...you're a great guy Sora. I'm gonna miss you. But this doesn't mean we won't see each other again. So...don't treat this as a final farewell, okay?" Lloyd asked. Sora nodded and shook Lloyd's hand. Lloyd went through the doorway as Presea, Zelos, Sheena, Regal, Raine, Genis and Colette followed. Each had stopped to say goodbye to Sora before they left. Emil and Marta stepped up next.

"We'd...best be getting home too. Heh. Doubt anyone's gonna believe us when we tell them of what a grand adventure we had." Marta chuckled. Emil smiled, as did the floating Tenebrae.

"We won't forget you Sora. It was thanks to your light that we met again. We'll never forget that." Emil said. Tenebrae invited Sora to drop by anytime. Richter, Alice and Decus then approached.

"I'd best go too. Good luck kid." Richter said. Alice and Decus waved before following Richter into the doorway. Emil, Marta and Tenebrae were close behind. More of Sora's friends continued through the doorway, eventually dwindling down everyone that was with Sora. As the last person went through, the ones still in Kingdom Hearts were Sora, Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Terra, Ventus and Eraqus. The four Nobodies, Axel, Roxas, Xion and Naminé, were there as well. Kairi and Sora turned to face each other.

"Well...Kairi? I guess...this is goodbye." Sora said. Kairi lightly gasped, starting to shed tears. As she gripped her hands, Sora patted her shoulder.

"Promise me...you'll take care of yourself...all right?" Sora asked "This is your REAL home. And it needs you more than ever now." He smiled and walked off. But as Sora continued on, Kairi started to bite her lower lip and her eyes were now flooding with tears. Sora was just about to cross over, stopped when he heard her exclaim.

_" NO! SORA! DON'T GO! " _

Sora stopped and turned around, seeing Kairi dash towards him and throw her arms out around him. Sora gasped, eyeing Kairi's tear filled eyes. She gripped Sora's coat tightly.

"Please...Sora. D...Don't leave me." Kairi said, sniffling and whining. Donald and Goofy looked on with worried looks on their faces. Kairi cried into Sora's shirt.

"Kairi..." he said. The vizer approached Kairi.

"Why are you crying princess? Because of your little "friend" here, the worlds are now bound by ties of light. And, of course, that means..." the vizer groaned. The queen stepped in.

"It means that the worlds now know of the other's existence, bringing universal peace to all." she finished. The vizer groaned.

"But...even so...I...I can't let Sora go. N...Never!" Kairi squealed. Riku remained quiet, waiting to see how things played out. The queen saw as Sora held Kairi close.

"Kairi...I know this is hard...but Kingdom Hearts really needs you now. And...like they said...I'm an "outsider". This isn't my real home." Sora said. Kairi lightly sniffled.

"B...But Sora..." Kairi said. Suddenly, the queen's spirit rose her hand.

"Unacceptable. Sora? I thank you for saving our world. But...I just cannot let you leave and make my daughter anymore upset." she said. Sora and Kairi looked on.

"I may not be queen anymore, but since my spirit still lingers here, I shall keep up my authority." she said "And...ahem. I also see that we will also be missing a new king. So..." Everyone looked on.

"By my official decree, I proclaim thee...King Sora and Queen Kairi, the new rulers of Kingdom Hearts." she said. Sora and Kairi gasped.

"W...What? U...Us?" they gasped.

"But your majesty!" the vizer exclaimed. He was stopped when she raised her hand, telling him he had no say in this. Riku approached Sora and Kairi.

"Well, look at you. Guess you two are gonna be together after all." he said. Sora smirked.

"If we are, you're stuck with us. Because I'm making YOU my royal vizier Riku." Sora said. Riku stuttered.

"Wh...What? Now hol...hold on a minute..." Riku stuttered. Sora looked at Terra, Aqua and Ventus.

"If I'm king, I also need some "royal knights" I can turn to. How about it you three?" Sora asked. The three Keybladers gasped, unlike Eraqus who remained quiet.

"Thank you...your Highness. I am sure these three masters will serve you well." Eraqus said. They stuttered.

"B...But Master! What about...?" they shouted. Eraqus smirked.

"You all have come a long way. I have seen that for myself. I truly would have to say, from the bottom of my heart, that you three are "true" Keyblade Masters. Master Terra, Master Aqua and Master Ventus..." he said. The three friends looked at each other and smiled. Suddenly, Mickey turned to Donald and Goofy.

"Boys? I've got a job for you." Mickey said. They gasped and quickly saluted.

"Yes sir?" they called.

"Welp, Sora's obviously gonna make quite a "mess" if he's expected to rule a world by himself. Therefore, as your new assigment, I order you to stay with him and ASSURE that Kingdom Hearts...stays in the light." Mickey said. Donald and Goofy were momentarily stunned, but soon saw the cheekiness in the King's words.

"Oh...uhhh...aye aye sir!" Goofy chuckled.

"You can count on us King Mickey!" Donald called. Mickey chuckled and looked at Sora.

"Welp, good luck Sora. You're gonna need it." Mickey said. Eraqus smirked as he and King Mickey walked into the doorway of light. It then suddenly closed, leaving everyone else behind. Seeing as they were here as well, the four Nobodies, the three Keyblade masters, Riku, Donald and Goofy bowed to Sora and Kairi.

"How can we be of service...your Majesty?" they all said. Sora and Kairi looked on at everyone, laughing together. Everyone soon joined in, filling the night air with the sound of joyous laughter. The queen smiled. But before she and the vizer faded from the world, she casted a spell into the sky, starting to restore the destroyed Kingdom Hearts.

_Sometime Later..._

As Kingdom Hearts is restored, the scene fades out to an image from a picture book. It was in the hands of Riku, now a young adult and sitting in a rocking chair. A group of young children sat by Riku's feet.

"And that...is how our world's founders not only brought about the return of our kingdom...but brought universal unity back to the worlds." Riku said. The kids all looked on in awe. Suddenly, one young boy hurried to Riku and tugged at his robe. He had mostly Sora's facial features.

"Hey...Mister Riku? If...If those two were really mommy and daddy, how do you think they are now?" he asked. Riku smirked as he looked out a window, glancing at the blue sky.

"I'd say...they're doing just fine." Riku said. Out in the city square, Sora and Kairi stood together, now adults and the rulers of Kingdom Hearts. Kairi wore a dark red and gold royal gown, bearing a beautiful crown on her head. Sora was by her side, wearing a large blue cloak with a gold sash. His robe was adorned with white emblems, symbolized with hearts, crowns and angel wings.

"You think it's ready?" Kairi asked. As she leaned on Sora's shoulder, Sora looked up and nodded.

"Yeah Kairi. I'd say Kingdom Hearts...is truly back to normal again." Sora said. They all looked to the sky, seeing a bright beautiful heart shimmering in the skies overhead. Rings of light orbited it as its glorious light fed power to the city below. With the worlds together and the light reigning down from above, all was set right with the worlds. And it was thanks to the actions of Sora and his friends.

**_~ THE END ~_**


	42. Ch 100: New Beginning, New Ties of Light

**_Kingdom Hearts III: Eternal Light_**

_~ Chapter 100: New Beginnings, New Ties of Light ~_

_~ Ties of Light: Sora & Kairi ~_

**_A Boy and a Girl...Each from Different Worlds..._**

_Because of their actions in defeating Vanitas and setting the worlds free from the horrifying curse of the Heartless, Sora and Kairi became the new rulers of Kingdom Hearts. In eventual time, their light brought the likes of the worlds previous inhabitants back to life. When the world itself was fully completed, rebuilt by the light of these amazing friends, Sora and Kairi had a most magnificent wedding. Kairi couldn't have been happier that day, to finally be wedded to the man of her dreams._

_As for the castle staff, Sora assigned the seat of his faithful and royal vizier to Riku. He also gave the seats of royal magician and captain of the guards to Donald and Goofy, now adorned in new gold and white attire. They salute to Sora whenever they cross paths, saluted back by their dear friend._

_

* * *

_

_~ The Knights of the Blade: Terra, Aqua & Ventus ~_

**_The Destinies of Three Friends who Bear the Key..._**

_With Kingdom Hearts restored, Ventus and his two best friends became commanding captains of Kingdom Hearts' Royal Knights, each bearing the world emblem on their armor. And, as closely bonded as Sora and Kairi, Ventus and Aqua soon became lovers themselves, joining hands together shortly after them. Terra supports their union, having believed in them his whole life._

_Even when taking time to train, the three friends always have time to salute to their master, a stain glass image of Eraqus shines in the royal training hall._

_

* * *

_

_~ Kings Themselves: Roxas, Naminé, Axel and Xion ~_

**_Four from the Realm of Darkness, Together Again..._**

_In another part of Kingdom Hearts, Sora made it part of his official duties to try and bring back as many innocent souls who became the likes of the Nobodies. They live in another district of Kingdom Hearts, ruled by their leaders King Roxas and Queen Naminé. And just as Sora had Riku as his vizier, the royal vizier to Roxas was none other than his friend Axel. As for Xion, she has become the royal family's lady-in-waiting, happy to help her friends._

_To this day, Roxas still looks back on what life was like in Organization XIII, believing he made the right choice when abandoning their wicked ways and joining the light._

_

* * *

_

_~ Worldy Ties: Radiant Gardens, Disney Castle, Destiny Islands and Land of Departure ~_

**_The Bonds of Light shed many rewards upon those closest to the light..._**

_After completion of Kingdom Hearts' restoration, a new travel style was formed to safely tred the paths of light now linking the worlds. As of such, it was founded by King Mickey and his royal assistants at Disney Castle. To this day, Disney Castle is apart of the "branch worlds" directly linked to Kingdom Hearts._

_As for Land of Departure, having been restored by Sora, Master Eraqus has transformed the academy into a school where he and several other Keyblade Masters from Kingdom Hearts train those of the future to wield the blade. His greatest pride is still the three pupils he left in Kingdom Hearts, Terra, Aqua and Ventus._

_On Destiny Islands, Sora's friends from Twilight Town, as well as the other six Princesses of Heart, had safely returned home upon the world's restoration. As for Sora's mother, she discovered a note from Sora before he departed, explaining to her everything that had happened to him. She read every word and understood everything. Despite Sora's disappearance from the islands, the families of these kids cannot help but be proud, looking forward to the days when they visit again._

_In Radiant Gardens, thanks to aide from Kingdom Hearts, their construction sky rocketed and into little as four months, Radiant Gardens had returned to the shimmering and beautiful way it once was. Ansem returned to rule over Radiant Gardens as its king, served by his loyal assistants. They are Leon, Yuffie, Cloud, Aerith, Cid, Merlin, Rinoa and the three Gullwings. He also takes Zexion back in his wing, the first new apprentice to Ansem himself._

_

* * *

_

_~ The New Bearer of the Key: Skye ~_

**_Generations of Light pass on, from one generation to the next..._**

_While it is true that Sora and Kairi became Kingdom Hearts' new rulers, an even greater gift was brought upon them several years after the world's restoration was complete. Now, Sora and Kairi have given birth to three beautiful children, two boys and a girl. And as each now bears the mark of a Keyblader, one is starting to shine out._

_He is Sora's middle child, the second born and he who bears the same features of his father. His name...is Skye...heir to Sora's Keyblade as well as the throne._


End file.
